House GOP's top messenger: Socialism attack line "doesn't really resonate"
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Lisa McClain, the House Republican Conference chair, speaks at the GOP's midterm convention in Dallas on Sept. 10. Photo: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
House Republicans' top messenger has three pieces of advice for candidates trying to survive the midterms: Call Democrats "communists," don't gaslight voters on inflation — and trust your district if it tells you to deviate from President Trump.
Why it matters: Calling Democrats "socialists" isn't enough — at least according to House Republican Conference chair Lisa McClain.
- "The word 'socialism' doesn't really resonate," McClain told Axios in an interview Thursday. "The word 'communism' resonates."
- That's despite House Republicans leaning heavily on tying Democrats to socialism as a midterm attack, including forcing a vote just this month on a resolution denouncing socialism designed to put Democrats in a tough spot.
The challenge for Republicans is to connect the two words for voters, arguing that socialism leads to communism and a loss of individual freedoms.
- McClain's preferred formulation: "Common sense versus communist crazy."
Between the lines: McClain is giving vulnerable Republicans room to tailor the national message to their districts — even if it means contradicting or challenging Trump.
- "In a utopia, I wish we all sang from the same hymnal," McClain said when asked about Rep. María Salazar's (R-Fla.) latest ad accusing Trump of betraying Hispanics.
- "Unfortunately, not all our districts are created equally, so I have to trust the members to do what they think is right in their district."
The Intrigue: McClain is also the first GOP leader to publicly acknowledge that the GOP is unlikely to win all 13 seats that Republicans say the redistricting wars have put in play for them.
- "Do I think we're going to win all 13 seats? No," McClain told Axios. "You go into every game saying 'Of course, I'm going to win every game.' But I'm also a realist, right? I'm not betting on all 13 teams."
- Pressed on how many of those seats Republicans could realistically capture, McClain estimated "eight, nine, 10 of them," adding "It'll shake out."
- GOP leaders across the board, including McClain, have been unflinchingly optimistic about their chances of keeping the majority despite the headwinds they face.
Zoom out: As the House GOP's chief messenger, McClain has spent months trying to keep Republicans on the same page heading into November.
- Her marching orders: Run on the GOP's record on the border, crime and tax cuts — and frame the election as a choice between smaller government and what Republicans characterize as Democratic "communism."
- The "common sense vs. crazy" message has already spread across the party, with House leaders, vulnerable incumbents and GOP candidates adopting versions of the line in speeches, ads and social media posts.
- 126 lawmakers, candidates and commentators used versions of McClain's talking points at the GOP midterm convention in Dallas, according to a tracking spreadsheet shared with Axios.
Zoom in: McClain also urged Republicans not to "gaslight" voters about the economic pain they're feeling, including high gas prices fueled by the Iran war.
- "You have to have empathy," McClain said. "I shop at the same grocery stores and fill my gas tank up at the same pumps that everybody else does."
- "I don't think gaslighting works," she added, arguing that Republicans should instead explain to voters why prices are high and defend Trump's handling of the war.
The bottom line: With lawmakers back in their districts until Election Day, the next six weeks will show how closely they follow McClain's playbook —and how it lands with voters.
