Washington Examiner executive editor Bob Cusack said Republicans need to look ahead and tell voters what they would do in the House and Senate if they keep power.
“These are not the headlines that they want: Iran, tariffs,” Cusack said on CNN’s Laura Coates Live on Tuesday. “They want to be talking about the Big Beautiful Bill.”
Cusack highlighted the challenges Republicans are facing in tackling affordability, as the Iran war drives up gas prices.
“They’re not talking about it [the One Big Beautiful Bill Act] because Iran is just sucking all the oxygen out,” Cusack said.
Republicans’ landmark legislation, the OBBBA, made several tax provisions permanent and added new ones. It cut down on spending for Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, and fulfilled no taxes on tips or overtime.
Cusack said Republicans should focus the first-ever GOP midterm convention on telling voters what comes next from the party.
The Republican Party’s 2026 midterm convention is being held Sept. 9 and 10 in Dallas, Texas. The event will focus on President Donald Trump and the GOP’s agenda. Trump and Vice President JD Vance will be the keynote speakers at the convention.
“The other thing that Republicans really haven’t laid out, because politics are about the future, what would they do?” Cusack said. “What would be H.R. 1? What would be the first bill in the House, and/or the Senate, if they keep power?”
He highlighted that some Republican candidates attending the convention are looking to lobby for “Trump money,” using the event as an opportunity to connect with donors who have spent significant sums to attend.
Still, Cusack maintained that neither party has given any indication of what it would do in the next year, and Democrats addressing affordability could make waves.
A Financial Times/Focaldata survey from August reports 53% of 2,152 respondents, including 24% of those who voted for Trump in 2024, believe their economic condition has worsened.
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The survey also shows 63% of respondents believe the economy is going in the wrong direction, including 37% of 2024 Trump voters.
The poll shows a shift voters have had about the Trump economy, making it a top priority for the GOP.
“We’re still talking about affordability,” Cusack said. “And the candidates who are talking about that, whether that’s the Democrats in Iowa, they’re doing very well in a red state, or Ohio, and they could pull some upsets.”
Two House seats in Iowa could be considered a toss-up, with attack ads against Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) highlighting the healthcare affordability crisis and funding cuts for Medicaid.
Cusack argued that attack ads simply go after character or past remarks. Trump-backed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is running for Senate, released an ad against his opponent, Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico, which recreates past remarks Talarico made through an AI-generated video posted on X.
The video shows an AI-generated version of Talarico in a room holding a Bible, which was renamed the King James “Talarico’” Bible, and lists several phrases Talarico has said over the years.
The phrases include “God is nonbinary” and there are six genders.
“I don’t think this ad is very persuasive, I really don’t,” Cusack said, emphasizing that affordability remains the top issue.
Cusack also highlighted the Texas governor’s race between incumbent Greg Abbott (R-TX) and Democratic nominee Texas state Rep. Gina Hinojosa. Cusack said it’s “not a definite win for Abbott.”
Cusack stressed that Republicans are looking to get “some type of bounce” from the midterm convention, but it might not be enough.
“Remember, they’re going against the NFL,” Cusack said.
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On Thursday night, the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams will compete in an NFL rivalry matchup in Melbourne, Australia, which Netflix will stream.
Speakers for the midterm convention will begin around 4 and 5 p.m. on Sept. 9.