After enduring a second impeachment of former President Donald Trump and intraparty battles in the first two months of the year, top House Republicans are ready to look toward the future and win again — and they think they have a game plan.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Indiana Rep. Jim Banks laid out a vision for “winning back America” at the 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday, and it doesn’t involve abandoning what Trump brought to the party.
“The least popular [Republicans] in our party are the ones who want to erase Donald Trump and Donald Trump supporters from our party,” Banks said. “If that happens, we will win back the majority in 2022. We definitely want to go back to the White House in 2024.”
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Banks said that his father, who was a factory worker, was a Democrat until Trump came around.
“We have to keep voters like my dad in the fray, and under Kevin McCarthy’s leadership, under my leadership, we’re going to continue to be the party of the working class for a long time, and there’s something really true out there,” Banks said.
Banks, 41, is the chairman of the Republican Study Committee for the 117th Congress. In that role, he has been helping to lead Republican messaging in the House, such as by circulating talking points about excessive spending in Democratic-crafted $1.9 trillion “American Rescue Plan” relief legislation.
He has in some ways been taking up the Republicans’ messaging mantle as Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, who is the No. 3 House Republican and as conference chairwoman is technically the head of House Republicans’ messaging, has faced challenges to her leadership position after voting in favor of impeaching Trump.
Another major part of the Republican future: pushing back against China and connecting the Chinese Communist Party to the Democrats.
“I do not know what the Chinese party and government has on the Democrats, but it is so powerful,” McCarthy said. “It is so powerful, it is scary.”
He mentioned Democratic California Rep. Eric Swalwell and his relationship with Fang Fang, a suspected intelligence asset of the Chinese Communist Party.
The top theme was the expansion of the party and making room for all of those who oppose left-wing priorities being pushed by the Democrats.
“We hear a lot about identity politics these days,” Banks said. “If you identify as an American, you are welcome in the Republican Party.”
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It’s all eyes on 2022, and McCarthy was confident.
“I would bet my house” that Republicans win back the House majority in 2022, McCarthy said. “This is the smallest majority the Democrats have had in 100 years. We can do it.”
