With the conclusion of Louisiana’s senatorial election runoff this past Saturday, the 2014 midterm cycle has officially come to a close.
And boy, did the ?elections send a message.
In fact, they sent a couple messages.
The Republicans won in both red and blue states alike.
From House seats to governor’s mansions, the GOP swept nearly every contested race and even managed to pick off a few unlikely victories along the way.
Nationally, Republicans took back control of the Senate by flipping Democratic-held seats in Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, North Carolina, South Dakota and West Virginia.
At the gubernatorial level, Republicans were comfortably re-elected in key swing states, such as Florida and Ohio.
But for political analysts, it wasn’t ?necessarily Republican re-elections in these swing states that took people by surprise — as impressive as they ?actually were.
It was the election of Republicans in deep blue states such as Illinois, Massachusetts and Maryland that took many by surprise — ourselves ?included.
The American electorate unmistakably called for Republican leadership — at both national and state levels. And as President Obama remarked, his policies were on the ballot this election cycle. Fortuitously for Republicans, Americans took note of that.
But as decisive as these elections were, Republicans must not misinterpret the results. Americans are fed up with Washington and are rightly becoming tired of the president’s empty ?rhetoric.
But the GOP would be unwise to overstep its mandate.
Yes, Americans want John Boehner to remain Speaker of the House and Mitch McConnell to become Senate Majority Leader, as do we.
But Americans also sent another loud and clear message: They want our nation’s capital to function again. That means Republicans and the president working together.
Republicans should take this opportunity to pass positive, pro-growth reforms such as the Keystone Pipeline, comprehensive immigration reform and tax reform, especially looking forward to the 2016 elections.
Now is the time for the party to roll up its sleeves, get things done for the American people and show the country that Republicans can not only win elections, but can lead America forward once again.
IU College Republicans
iugop@indiana.edu
