Washington Times: Republicans must win state legislatures to stop Democrats’ radical liberal agenda

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In a cycle in which Republicans are likely to seize control of the House of Representatives and the Senate and probably wind up with more than 30 Republican governors, it is important for the national party to remain focused on state legislatures. It is there that policy is made — or not made — every day, and where much of the success or failure of the Republican agenda happens.

For example, while Democrats have had governors in Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin over the last four years, in many instances, they have failed to advance many of their most radical proposals because of Republican-held legislative chambers.

After next week’s election, it is conceivable, and certainly likely in the case of Pennsylvania, that the job of stopping Democrats’ radical liberal agenda in the Midwest will once again fall to Republican state legislatures.

The good news is that these legislators know how to win.

In Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer proposed a 45-cent-per-gallon fuel tax increase that the Republican-led Legislature blocked from being signed into law. In addition, the Republican-led House voted 60-48 to adopt a petition brought through a citizen petition drive to repeal the Emergency Powers of the Governor Act. Ms. Whitmer used the law, of course, to issue public health orders until the Michigan Supreme Court found it unconstitutional this month.

In Minnesota, in 2019, Senate Republicans blocked Gov. Tim Walz’s proposed budget that included new state spending, increased taxes and fees. Undeterred by this defeat, Mr. Walz proposed a $52.4 billion two-year budget in 2021 that included tax hikes on the state’s highest earners and corporations.

Mr. Walz proposed a bill that would have increased the gasoline tax by 70%. Senate Republicans blocked it.  

In Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf proposed raising the state’s personal income tax from 3.07% to 4.49%. Republicans in the state Legislature prevented this tax increase from being signed into law. Pennsylvania voters also became the first in the nation to curb their governor’s emergency powers, approving constitutional amendments proposed by GOP lawmakers.

In Wisconsin, Gov. Tony Evers tried to pass a budget in 2021 that increased spending and raised taxes by $1 billion. Republicans in the Legislature blocked the tax increase and rewrote the budget to include a $2 billion tax cut. Republican legislators also defeated his proposal to raise the gas tax by 8 cents per gallon plus inflation adjustments.

The GOP-controlled legislature is advancing a proposal that would give the state legislature some say in how federal funding is spent in the state. Currently, the governor has complete control over those decisions.  

Finally — and stop me if this sounds familiar — Republican legislative leaders in Wisconsin led the effort to end Mr. Evers’ sweeping COVID-19 mandates. They had the governor’s stay-at-home order struck down. Republicans, specifically state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, have been so effective at limiting Mr. Evers’ radical liberal agenda that Politico referred to Mr. Vos as a “shadow governor.”

The simple truth is bad ideas that originate in Washington too often go national. With Team Biden’s failed agenda already visiting havoc on the nation, Americans in the Midwest cannot afford to have these same failed policies imposed in their states. Whether or not that happens may very well come down to Republicans’ ability to hold and grow their thin — although very effective — majorities in state legislatures.

At the moment, Republicans hold 62 of the 99 state legislative bodies in the United States. Given the likely stasis at the federal level in the wake of the election, it is essential for Republicans that they emerge from this election cycle with control of at least that many state legislative bodies.

Fortunately, the Republican State Leadership Committee team is on the job. Its closing messages to voters urge them to elect Republicans for state legislatures to limit the damage that will come if Democrats win one or more of these gubernatorial contests in the Midwest.

The RSLC’s efforts are, of course, not limited to the Midwest. In new digital ads — which will focus on Colorado, Maine and Nevada — the RSLC emphasized the importance of breaking the pattern of single-party rule. This follows opinion research indicating that voters in the three states want their state legislatures to push back against Democratic governors.

In short, the RSLC continues to work to make sure that the Republicans maintain and expand control of as many state legislatures as possible. They understand, as we all should, that the states are the building blocks of both party strength and policy development.

Republican state-level operatives are and have been for a number of years, better than their Democratic counterparts. That is a continuing source of the strength and resilience of the Republican Party. The results of this cycle will demonstrate that.