Almost two weeks ago now, Republicans not only won big at the federal level, but in state races as well. To add insult to injury to the Harris-Walz ticket's loss, this includes in Minnesota, where Gov. Tim Walz will no longer have Democrats controlling both the state House and state Senate. Such wins were due to the efforts of the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC), which is highlighting eight races across the country in particular.
In a press release first shared with Townhall, the RSLC focused on how their '"Left's Most Wanted' Campaign Played [a] Pivotal Role in Defeating Eight Battleground-District Democrats." In addition to the House race involving soon-to-be former state Rep. Jeff Brand in Minnesota, the RSLC also had success in targeting the following in several key states:
- State Sen. Christine Marsh, Brandy Reese, and state Rep. Keith Seaman in Arizona
- State Sen. Shannon Chandley and Senate Minority Leader Donna Soucy in New Hampshire
- David Marstellar and Lu Ann Bird in Wisconsin
These eights wins represent a strong showing for the RSLC with the 10 Democrats that the group targeted. As a result, Republicans are able to defend their majorities in Arizona, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin, and also ended the trifecta Democratic control for Walz and his radical leftist agenda in Minnesota.
The press release from the RSLC noted that their candidates focused on border security, crime, and the economy, and that they were also helped by RSLC's "Left's Most Wanted" paid media campaign from this fall. As the press released also mentioned, "Arizona, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin were named three of the most critical GOP majorities to protect in this contentious election year," citing an updated target memo from late June.
Also highlighted is how Marsh, the soon-to-be former state senator representing Arizona's District 4, lost due to a border security. An ad, "Wrong for Arizona," highlighted how she was "fueling the chaos" to do with the crisis at the southern border, given that she answered with a "yeah, absolutely" when asked if she would "work to end the collaboration of local law enforcement with ICE."
"The American people voted resoundingly to defend and expand state GOP majorities and break out of Democrat-controlled trifectas," said RSLC President Dee Duncan in a statement. "We knew that state Republicans had the upper hand on winning issues like border security, crime, and the economy, which is why we dedicated significant resources into these crucial battleground districts to drive home our message. The RSLC’s 'Left’s Most Wanted' ad campaign made an example of state Democrats across Arizona, New Hampshire, Minnesota, and Wisconsin by going on offense and holding them accountable. We will continue to build off the success we had this cycle to protect and expand our majorities nationwide come next cycle, where Democrats will come back with more money than ever before to unseat Republicans."
These states were not merely targets for the RLSC. In addition to such wins in these statewide races, President-elect Donald Trump won Arizona and Wisconsin, and came particularly close in New Hampshire and Minnesota, even winning Walz's home county.