Last week, voters told Republicans they’re done waiting for the party to do something with its majority. After two years, they handed Democrats the keys to both chambers of Congress.
A week later, Senate Republicans gave John Thune another term as leader, as if voters hadn’t just weighed in on how the last two years went.
In order for Republicans to make a comeback in 2028, they need to move on from many of the past leaders and look to the next generation. Two winners in last week’s whoopin', Texas’ Brandon Gill and Wisconsin’s Michael Alfonso, are good examples. Both are young fathers who can speak to voters’ needs and who want to shape the future of the country their children will inherit.
Gill, who has two children with his wife, Danielle D’Souza-Gill, made a name for himself in committee hearings during his freshman term. In a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing in April, Gill asked an abortion advocate to name her “favorite type of abortion.” It was a question nobody wanted to hear, yet was a vital one. American University public affairs scholar Jessica Waters brushed off the question and attempted to steer the discussion toward the clinic-access law she’d come to defend. Gill, however, wouldn’t let her off the hook.
He went on to describe several abortion procedures, putting the reality of abortion in Waters’ face as she visibly squirmed in her seat. The clip had five million views in less than a day.
That kind of questioning has become his signature in committee, a move he said he’s learned from Rep. Jim Jordan, who was elected House minority leader earlier this week. “Every time Jim Jordan goes into a committee hearing, I stop what I’m doing and watch. He’s so effective,” Gill told the Washington Examiner.
Gill himself has also been effective in getting conservative legislation on the table, making immigration a top priority. His first bill in Congress would have codified Trump’s Remain in Mexico policy. He also voted for the Laken Riley Act, a law that requires federal authorities to detain certain illegal immigrants charged with theft or other crimes. When running for a second term, Gill pointed to this record to prove his effectiveness.
In northern Wisconsin, Alfonso was campaigning on a different question many young Americans his age are facing: How are we supposed to be able to afford buying a house and starting a family?
Alfonso married his high school sweetheart, Evita Duffy-Alfonso, at 22 years old. They had their first child in May, and he’ll enter Congress at the ripe age of 26. Alfonso ran as a pro-life Republican who backs school choice and wants stronger protections for homeschooling.
On the campaign trail, Alfonso addressed a top voter issue: affordability. He called for a decrease in regulations that make it harder to build homes and encouraged young people to opt for trade school instead of student loans.
Alfonso still has to prove himself in Congress. But he spent his campaign talking about affordability issues Republicans should have spent more time on this year, like how their policies will allow young people to afford a house.
Voters under 30 broke overwhelmingly for Democrats in the midterms. If Republicans want those voters back in 2028, they need to have more to say about the cost of living, starting with telling voters what they’ll do not simply to decrease costs but also to prevent costs from climbing higher.
The old guard has served the party, and the GOP should be grateful for their time in office. But it’s time to move on. Voters need Republican candidates with an axe to grind, a family to defend, and a clear vision for the future of the country. Candidates like Gill and Alfonso fit the bill.