FORT WORTH, Texas — Though the House and Senate are still hanging in the balance, it’s clear Republicans did not sweep the nation with the “red wave” of conservative wins like they hoped. If anything, it was more of a red trickle.
Semantics aside, one thing is clear: Gov. Ron DeSantis swept Florida by nearly 20%, an incredible margin by anyone’s standards. Texas' own Gov. Greg Abbott bested Beto O’Rourke, the left’s most popular gubernatorial challenger, by 11%. Conservatives should look to DeSantis and Abbott for an explanation and direction forward.
Unlike many conservative candidates who narrowly won or even lost, neither DeSantis nor Abbott tiptoed around their core beliefs. Both also focused on governing competency. DeSantis and Abbott went hard on what some people call 2022’s version of the culture wars: Lockdowns, mandates, education, “woke” corporations.
