>>170390,
>>170391,
>>170392,
>>170393,
>>170394,
>>170395,
>>170396,
>>170397,
>>170398,
>>170399,
>>170400,
>>170401,
>>170402,
>>170403,
>>170404,
>>170405,
>>170406,
>>170407,
>>170408,
>>170409,
>>170410,
>>170411,
>>170412,
>>170413,
>>170414,
>>170415,
>>170416,
>>170417,
>>170418,
>>170419,
>>170420,
>>170421,
>>170422,
>>170423,
>>170424,
>>170425,
>>170426,
>>170427,
>>170428,
>>170429,
>>170430,
>>170431,
>>170432,
>>170433,
>>170434,
>>170435,
>>170436Van Epps will now be a safe incumbent in 2026.
Quote
Robby Starbuck @robbystarbuck
Some will be mad at me for this but I say it out of love for our country… We won the TN special election by less than we should have.
If you’ve been to this area, you know it should have been a blowout. And this isn’t a knock on Matt Van Epps. He had lower name ID to begin with and did a good job pulling it out. A lesser candidate would have made it a real nail biter.
So why was it close? Many voters are apathetic and have very little enthusiasm on our side. Why? They think our majority in Congress is failing them due to weak leadership, bad priorities & inconsistent messaging.
Before I go further, I don’t say this to punch my own side for fun. I don’t do that. I say this because I want us to dominate for many years to come. Major time was wasted this year that should have been spent IN SESSION solving problems.
We need to right the ship or voters will sink our ship in 2026. Enthusiasm from 2024 is gone. The blind trust is gone. They want action. The people in Congress need to realize that they aren’t Trump and he isn’t there to carry them on the ballot in 2026. They need to deliver now. And even then we likely have to run ‘26 like a Presidential election with Trump going around the country.
I see it on the ground. Voters want to know when promises are going to be kept by Congress. They want a Congress that works as much as they do. They want the agenda they voted for in 2024 passed into law. They want the deep state held accountable. They want transparency. They want full focus on domestic issues instead of foreign issues. They want Congress to improve their lives. They want them to stop trading stocks. And they want to know what the hell Congress is actually doing for them. If our GOP majority doesn’t deliver, many of these people won’t vote, no matter how much they hate Democrats.
I’m hearing from people who I’d describe as the Trumpiest people I met from 2016-2024 who straight up won’t vote in 2026 unless Congress changes to a fighting spirit this year and stacks wins on the board. These people have lost faith and feel like everything is rigged by uniparty puppets for special interests.
Doesn’t matter what I tell these people. I can’t make most of them vote again. Neither can any other big social media account. Only ACTION from electeds will move them at this point to feel that the incumbents deserve their vote. This is exclusively a right wing problem. The left is enthusiastic just about hating us. That animates their base by itself.
And many of the good things that have happened in Congress this year aren’t even reaching the ears or eyeballs of average voters because the messaging is soft and inconsistent. Everyone needs a gut check and to tell the truth NOW to right the ship or they’re going to get a much larger gut check in November 2026 when we lose the House majority and go through another stupid impeachment hoax.
Voters feel like they’ve shown up time and time again for politicians but that politicians aren’t showing up for them by running on the same promises every election but then never delivering them. That goes for both sides but the left has enthusiasm simply from their base hating Trump. Our side needs to actually motivate our people to vote.
Congress needs a hard look in the mirror and to get to work on fixing this NOW. Our majority CAN fix this. Now the question of 2026 is this: Will they? I sure hope so because the alternative is dark. It’s time to get to work.
https://x.com/shipwreckedcrew/status/1996228528132538754 50