Key Conservative Policies Won Big in Midterms Even as GOP Fell Flat

Though Republican candidates faced a “shellacking” of historic proportions on Tuesday night, several conservative policies nonetheless proved popular with voters even in blue states. As the GOP picks up the pieces, ballot initiative victories that largely flew under the radar provide a foundation for rebuilding.

The prevailing narrative now emerging is that the midterm elections were a repudiation of not just Republican politicians or gas prices or the Iran war, but the conservative movement more broadly. Democrats smugly point to victories in places like Maine, Texas, and South Carolina as evidence that the GOP platform is no longer a viable electoral strategy. They’re already forecasting more sweeping victories in 2028 based on the premise that Republican policies are out of step with the American people.

But that analysis ignores major signs in down-ballot contests that point in precisely the opposite direction. While exit polls clearly show that Americans were frustrated with prices, the war, and the perception of government corruption, they still support many conservative policies – including those that swept Republicans to power just two years ago.

One of the most under-the-radar trends on Tuesday was the astonishing record of success for ballot initiatives barring men from competing in women’s sports. Voters in Nebraska, Arizona, Washington, and Colorado all passed common-sense measures upholding basic biological reality and restricting male athletes who claim to be transgender from invading women’s sports and private spaces.

Perhaps the most noteworthy victory came in Washington, a deep-blue state with a long progressive streak. Democrats won big victories in congressional elections, but Measure I-638 was expected to pass by a resounding 57 percent. That referendum “would prohibit biological males from competing in school sports reserved for females,” according to the Associated Press.

Meanwhile, in Colorado, even as the Democrat gubernatorial candidate won a 27-point victory, about 52 percent of voters supported both Proposition 134, which protects female sports from male intrusion, and Proposition 135, which prevents so-called “gender affirming surgeries” on minors and bars taxpayer funding for the harmful procedures.

Both measures appear likely to succeed despite well-funded left-wing groups like the ACLU and Planned Parenthood opposing them. Opponents of the measure protecting women’s sports spent an astonishing 17 times more than supporters. But even in deep-blue Colorado, voters simply don’t want men in women’s sports.

In Arizona, voters likewise decisively sided with female athletes, backing Proposition 318.

Conservatives also notched several other victories in support of common-sense principles. Perhaps the most noteworthy of these were three Voter ID measures that passed in states that also voted for Democrats.

In Ohio, voters elected liberal Democrat Amy Acton to the governor’s mansion, defeating Republican Vivek Ramaswamy. Acton becomes the first Democrat governor of the Buckeye State since Ted Strickland left in 2011. Likewise, voters returned liberal Senator Sherrod Brown to the Senate. But they still showed an appetite for Voter ID - nearly 66 percent of voters backed Issue 3, a constitutional amendment to require photo identification to vote.

A similar situation played out in Nevada, where citizens voted to add Voter ID to the state constitution even as they voted for Democrat Aaron Ford for governor over incumbent Republican Joe Lombardo. About 63 percent of Nevadans voted to require a “form of photo identification to verify their identity when voting in person” and a Social Security number or state ID to vote by mail.

Finally, North Carolina voters showed they support conservative principles when it comes to Voter ID and taxes. While former Democrat Governor Roy Cooper easily defeated Michael Whatley to flip a Senate seat previously held by Republican Thom Tillis, they also approved a new law that will require identification to vote by mail (the state already requires identification to vote in person).

Last but not least, property tax limits proved a major sticking point for voters. Concerns about housing affordability and how property taxes can eat away at retirement savings drove populist support for freezing the taxes.

North Carolina voters once again came through for common sense on this front, capping the income tax and directing the legislature to cap property taxes. Both are major victories for affordability and letting citizens keep more of their own money.

Finally, while Florida voters only barely elected Republican Byron Donalds to the governor’s mansion to replace Governor Ron DeSantis, they overwhelmingly supported raising the exemption for property taxes. About 62 percent of Floridians voted to raise “the homestead exemption to $150,000 next year, [increase] it to $250,000 in 2028, and [adjust] it annually for inflation,” according to WESH 2.

Taken together, these results are a clear indication that Republican ideas remain popular, even if Republican politicians themselves are not.

The GOP should not be Pollyannaish or bury their heads in the sand – they got beaten badly. Voters were dissatisfied with how Republicans handled the economy, and the backlash against an unpopular war has driven comparisons to the Democrat comeback in 2006 following the launch of the Iraq War.

Still, voters showed that they value election integrity, are opposed to transgender extremism, and care most about kitchen table issues like taxes. That shows a path forward for Republicans who are serious about a comeback in 2028.