Looking ahead to the 2026 midterm elections,
#JeffFlake said candidates will have a choice of whether to align with Trump on his economic policies, including the president’s
#tariffs, which Flake sees as unpopular, “Or they can begin the slow, necessary work of reclaiming the party of free markets and global engagement.” THIS
“The midterms, now less than a year away, clearly favor the
#Democrats — particularly in the House, where they are poised to take the majority,” Flake wrote. “And if that happens, it will not be because Democrats have suddenly found the perfect message. It will be because the president’s economic policies are fundamentally misaligned with both conservative principles and economic reality.”
Flake noted that many of “Trump’s imitators have not fared well” when trying to emulate the president’s approach to politics, even when Trump is on the ballot. He pointed to races in his home state of
#Arizona in the past few years as a prime example of that phenomenon, noting the state now has two Democratic senators and a Democratic governor.
He predicted Republicans will continue to struggle in down ballot races and urged his party to return to its roots of traditional conservatism.