DEMOCRATS NEED TO MAKE A DEAL

A few Republican House members should consider where they stand

Find three or four Republican members of the House of Representatives who will make a switch and rebrand themselves as Democrats. Others have done it – in both directions. Most notably, I remember when Wayne Morse, who was a liberal Republican Senator from Oregon, finally decided in 1955 to give up on his Republican colleagues and crossed the aisle to become a Democrat. As such, he was twice again reelected as Oregon’s senior Senator.

There are some middle-of-the-road Republicans who might be persuaded to make a move across the aisle (shown is the GovTRACK.us score for conservative ideology): Abigail Spanberger (VA - .3). Amata Radewagem (AS - .34), Connie Conway (CA - .34), Rudy Yakym (IN - .29), Joe Sempolinski (NY - .3), Nancy Mace (SC - .59), Young Kim (CA - .5). This shows that these Representatives deviate considerably from right-wing Republican ideology and may be candidates for rebranding as Independents or even as Democrats, providing they would have the support of the party in the 2026 election. Given the bizarre character of the incoming Trump Administration, it’s worth a shot.

It can be done. Republicans only hold a two-vote edge in the House of Representatives with a weak party leader as Speaker (Mike Johnson), incompetent, inexperienced Cabinet members and a vindictive President who seems to be relying on a super-wealthy businessman to guide him into taking risky, ill-advised actions. Leaving the Republicans to their doomed screenplay has merit, especially for a middle-of-the -road member of Congress who would like to have a future. 2026 is likely to see a Democratic resurgence and a return to Democratic leadership in the House. For these Republican members of the House, a deal with the Democrats in the Districts of each of these Representatives would be a smart move to make.