Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) said Republicans lost sight of their conservative principles and failed to act on key priorities ahead of the midterm elections, in which Democrats won back control of both the House and Senate.
Appearing on Breitbart News Saturday, Steube was asked by host Matthew Boyle what went wrong for Republicans this cycle. His answer was blunt.
“I think basically we lost our bearings and lost being conservatives, and we failed to deliver on key things that the voters wanted us to deliver on. How about ensuring that only citizens in our country can vote?” Steube said.
Since the midterm defeat, Steube has pushed for what he describes as a change in messaging and leadership within the party, one that stops treating conservative voters as an afterthought.
He placed significant blame on the Senate for not eliminating the legislative filibuster, arguing that inaction there prevented Republicans from delivering on promises. But he also pointed to a broader puzzle in the results.
“If you look at the results across the country, the biggest thing is a lot of these people who voted for Democrats, voted for Trump in 2024. So, why did they vote against us in 2026?”
According to Steube, polling pointed to several factors behind that shift, including the war with Iran and economic pressures tied to the cost of food and gas.
He also described frustration among members of Congress who pushed for action before adjourning without passing more legislation.
“We had members like myself, clamoring on the floor that we needed to do something before we left. And instead, we left early, didn’t get anything done. I had a bill that would have removed all excise taxes and federal excise tax on diesel and gas.”
Steube argued that beyond legislative inaction, Republicans also failed to effectively communicate the accomplishments they did achieve, including funding for the border wall and efforts to reduce crime, items he said voters had expected the party to prioritize.
Breitbart News Saturday airs on SiriusXM Patriot 125 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
