Wow! What an election night! I want to share with you our thinking here at Heritage on the results and what they mean for the conservative agenda.
I’m thrilled with the conservative gains in the Senate and want to congratulate all those who stood for conservative values on the campaign trail and will now do so in Washington.
On the other side of Capitol Hill, well, the results were not as good. But there’s a big difference between being disappointed and being defeated.
Now is the time to do what we do best. Keep fighting for the conservative policies we know are good for America. The Left will make things appear worse than they actually are, so allow me to put things in perspective.
We are still standing strong with an allied president in the White House.
Conservatives have not only kept control of the Senate, we have increased our numbers.
We have strong conservatives like Marsha Blackburn — the first woman to represent her state in the Senate. Josh Hawley from Missouri — a young rising star for our movement who once interned at Heritage. Rick Scott — who led his state of Florida as a great governor. And Mike Braun of Indiana — a successful businessman who will bring a needed perspective to Washington.
These conservative gains in the Senate mean the Left has no way to stop the confirmation of constitutionalist judges for the federal bench like Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.
It also means many of the bad policy ideas that will now come out of a liberal-controlled House will be dead on arrival when they get to a strengthened conservative Senate.
And outside of Washington, we saw conservatives march to victory in several governor's races. Governor-elect Ron DeSantis will continue to make education equality a priority for Florida's families. seemed likely in this race by week's end).And I'm hopeful we will continue to see other ideas like this flourish across our great nation.
Heritage will always be in the fight for the long haul and our dedication and commitment to fighting will not change with this election.
We’re already laying the groundwork for the policy ideas that will shape the 2020 presidential and congressional elections.
Yes, losing the House is disappointing and creates the threat for a whole range of bad legislation like Medicare for All, amnesty for illegal immigrants, higher spending, and attacks on the Second Amendment.
But let me promise you, we will not give up. We will be stronger, bolder and more prepared.
As the president of the Heritage Foundation, I can assure you that we know exactly what to do. We’re already working to achieve the unfinished conservative priorities during the lame-duck session of Congress.
But we need you to stand with us, be a strong voice for conservative policies, and help us win youth, minorities, and women to the conservative movement.
Now is not the time to falter and shrink, but rather the moment to fight harder, send more resources and become more committed to preserving the principles of limited government, freedom, opportunity and a flourishing civil society.
We are up to the task. Together we must stay optimistic, stand up tall, and fight even harder.
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