Most analysts agree that the 2022 midterm elections went poorly for the Republican party. The GOP squandered crucial gubernatorial and Senate races, and it barely retained control of the House of Representatives. Notably, many of the GOP’s successes in those midterms were not from conservative states. In the state of New York, where the GOP flipped four House seats, many Republican victories were won on the coattails of Lee Zeldin’s commendable performance in the gubernatorial election. That race, though only statewide and somewhat removed from the culture war issues that fill our political discourse, clearly affected national politics.
An earlier one—Glenn Youngkin’s victory in Virginia’s 2021 gubernatorial race—produced similar ripples throughout the political world. By defeating a former incumbent and attracting attention from across the country, Youngkin translated his success into political capital which he used to campaign for other Republicans in later races.
Although Youngkin won his election while Zeldin did not, both candidates stood as compelling examples for Republican strategists: each illustrated regionalism’s ability to produce Republican gains outside of strongholds traditionally associated with the MAGA base. While the values of the populist Right should remain the core of our movement, the key to its continued electoral viability lies in tailoring more competitive campaigns to identify and address local issues.
Glenn Youngkin triumphed in Virginia by coupling national momentum with a clearly localized approach to campaigning. In a state where suburban voters—especially those in the Northern Virginia area— play a pivotal role, Youngkin centered his run on a crucial issue that resonated deeply with the electorate: education. By focusing his campaign on education and related concerns that are central to Virginia’s suburban parents and families, Youngkin not only capitalized on a pressing local issue, but also demonstrated that addressing these concerns need not contradict the broader momentum of the MAGA movement. His approach showcased the viability of a strategy that prioritizes regional interests while remaining aligned with the core principles of conservatism.
Lee Zeldin’s campaign in New York also exemplified the potential for MAGA-aligned Republicans to make significant inroads in competitive states. Despite facing an uphill battle against incumbent Kathy Hochul, Zeldin’s unwavering support for President Trump and his conservative principles failed to hinder his popularity. He campaigned on specific issues that directly (and especially) affected New Yorkers, such as rising crime rates and the complicity of far-Left district attorneys. By affixing those local concerns to the broader conservative movement’s energy, Zeldin made it possible for New York to entertain the electoral prospects of serious conservatives without making those candidates compromise their ideological integrity.
Youngkin and Zeldin each underscored the political importance of local issues, and their successes demonstrate that those issues ought to be rightly understood and addressed by campaigns. Rather than attempting to mimic the same campaign formula as presidential hopefuls or candidates for offices in heartland states, candidates who run in states that are not traditionally conservative must tailor their messages to resonate with their electorates. This requires a nuanced understanding of regional issues and an earnest desire to engage voters at the grassroots level.
Embracing this kind of regionalism will also offer the national conservative movement an opportunity to broaden its appeal beyond traditional strongholds. By emphasizing the relevance of conservative values in local communities and highlighting the tangible benefits of conservative policies, the Republican Party can effectively challenge the narrative that conservatism is limited to certain cultural or geographic enclaves.
It’s important to note that an effective leveraging of regionalism requires more than rhetoric and retail politics: it demands a genuine commitment to addressing the pressing issues facing each locality. Only by demonstrating their investment in putting local issues first on the campaign trail can conservative candidates hope to expand their bases of support.
American conservatives have always been wary of top-down directives from Washington. It’s a given that we should champion policies that empower states and localities to address their unique challenges. Doing so will allow us to more authentically practice the principles we’ve always extolled while also achieving electoral gains. By more thoroughly embracing regionalism, the populist Right has the potential to secure gains in regions that may not align culturally with the movement’s core. The heartland will always be the wellspring of the movement, but that centrality does not mean American conservatism should lack any purposeful variation that reflects the American people’s manifold needs.
