OPINION:
The frenzy over the 2026 midterms has already started as official Washington shifts into survival mode. Naturally, the lion’s share of the attention will be on the handfuls of targeted seats in both houses of Congress.
Although it may be catnip for political junkies doomscrolling social media or glued to cable news, the myopic view we take of our politics obscures bad policy much closer to home. Liberals masquerading as Republicans (or worse, attempting to con the public into thinking they are conservatives) is a real phenomenon in state legislatures across the country. I’ve never been a fan of purity tests, and I tend to respect Ronald Reagan’s 80-20 rule overall.
I’m not big, therefore, on calling officials RINOs or tagging them with some other pejorative label. Sometimes, though, it’s genuinely warranted.
Pro-freedom Americans should scrutinize their state legislators and local officials more closely to prevent public policy from being marred by liberal wolves in Republican clothing.
The Lone Star State continues to provide an easy example. Liberal Republicans in the Legislature have inexplicably given Democrats powerful committee chairmanships. The Republican majority in the Statehouse has also failed to pass large swaths of the state party’s platform.
Last year, Gov. Greg Abbott targeted nearly 20 lawmakers for primaries for failing to support school choice, a major priority in the fight against the radical public school teachers unions and their vice grip on failing taxpayer-funded education.
Mr. Abbott spent more than $4.4 million on primaries to elect more conservative legislators in the wake of the school choice fight. By the end of the year, 15 of them had been unseated. That is progress, but the rot goes deeper.
This year, several more liberal Republicans are being targeted to help ensure the Legislature remains a stalwart against left-wing policy.
State Rep. Ken King, one of the most liberal members of the Republican conference, from up in the panhandle, is facing a well-deserved primary. He is opposed to ending taxpayer-funded lobbying and has proved consistently soft on various immigration policies.
State Rep. Charlie Geren, a powerful, long-standing liberal member of the chamber from Fort Worth, has voted to retain diversity, equity and inclusion language in public education policy, pushed for massive increases in state spending and supported welfare for noncitizens.
A battle is also shaping up for a House seat from San Antonio, where liberal incumbent Marc LaHood is on the ropes over his staunch support of the trial lawyer lobby and other bad votes. Mr. LaHood, who was a Democrat until 2021, has taken more than $1 million from trial lawyers, and his funders are connected to PACs that have received resources from none other than George Soros. Mr. LaHood’s challenger, conservative David McArthur, is a businessman, real estate agent and former White House aide who is rapidly gathering momentum.
Of course, when it comes to Texas Republicans, even the furthest left is still more conservative than any Democratic alternative. Still, the bar should be higher than a label in these times when sovereignty, constitutional freedoms and basic morality are under threat.
Voters shrugging off bad votes on top issues only yields more success for the leftist influence peddlers in Austin and state capitals across the nation.
Texas isn’t alone in its red state RINO problem. Conservative states such as Tennessee, where a political trifecta exists for Republicans as well, also have officials benefiting from complacent voters ignoring more liberal voting records, creating a political environment that lacks sufficient accountability. Liberal Republicans in Tennessee recently killed a bill that would ban Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits from being used for junk food, for instance.
The General Assembly also has a contingent of liberal Republicans who consistently take money from the teachers unions and oppose partisan voter registration, both providing clear advantages to left-wing Democrats.
Not all Republicans are created equal, and that’s fine. Not all communities are the same, but bad policy is bad policy everywhere.
Just because someone has an “R” next to their name doesn’t mean they uphold the values that are key to the American formula for greatness.
State legislators need to be on notice. As blue states get bluer, Democrats turn socialist and the Marxist political ecosystem is flush with big money (both domestic and foreign), being a Republican must be more than a label.
It must be backed up with consistent action to protect and advance limited government principles and constitutional freedoms.
This isn’t a game. State legislators can have a far greater impact on your family’s bottom line, your children’s education and your business than Congress. A great goal for all Americans would be to take a broader view of the politics of 2026.
That view should start with your own backyard.
• Tom Basile is the host of “America Right Now” on Newsmax TV.
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