Republican strategist Mat Wylie told the State that Democrats managed to successfully hang the pain of the ongoing shutdown around Republicans’ necks — however hard GOP lawmakers tried to blame Democrats.
“Democrats successfully leveraged the shutdown into a political win. Make no mistake: this shutdown is on them. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer gambled that the pain it would cause — missed paychecks, massive travel delays, and disruptions to WIC, SNAP and Head Start — would translate into political victories. They were right,” said Wylie.
But Republicans have a bad history with American healthcare, and U.S. voters already had a familiar enemy in their sights when the pain started kicking in.
“Health care has always been the GOP’s Achilles’ heel, so it’s no surprise Democrats chose to die on that hill. What they didn’t anticipate was how long the shutdown would last — or how politically valuable it would become,” Wylie said. “Once it became clear that SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans would expire just as Obamacare premiums spiked, Democrats had no reason to reopen the government.”
Simply put, said Wylie, the GOP got outplayed, and now Republicans are “stuck in a dangerous game of chicken.”
“If this drags through Thanksgiving and Christmas, the political ads will write themselves — empty dinner tables, missed paychecks and a GOP Congress that has been MIA. Bottom line: If Republicans don’t fix this fast, 2026 won’t just be a loss — it’ll be an extinction event.”
Exit polls keep showing economy and affordability is at the top of voters’ lists as people worry about “keeping a roof over their heads and food on the table.”
“They’re watching prices climb and job security crumble. And they had reason to worry. October alone showed 153,074 job cuts — the worst October since 2003. Bottom line: Voters sent a message that should chill every Republican in America: the politics of outrage and grievance don’t win when families can’t pay their bills,” said Wylie.
Worse, Trump is downright toxic in blue and purple states, and “Make America Great Again,” seems “intent on making Republicans unelectable in swing states.”
“Americans are fed up with chaos. They don’t want militarized cities, trade wars that crush farmers and drive-up prices, executive overreach masquerading as strength or citizens targeted for dissent. They don’t just blame Trump, they blame Republicans,” Wylie warned, while reminding readers that polls showed 38 percent of Virginia voters and 41 percent of New Jersey voters turned out “specifically to oppose Trump.”
“If that level of backlash holds in swing districts across the country, Republicans won’t just lose the midterms — they’ll be wiped out,” said Wylie. “No amount of gerrymandering can protect against that.”
Read the State report at this link.