{"id":2430818,"date":"2025-05-05T05:20:02","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T09:20:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/conservatives-must-hold-red-state-rinos-accountable\/"},"modified":"2025-05-05T05:22:30","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T09:22:30","slug":"conservatives-must-hold-red-state-rinos-accountable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/conservatives-must-hold-red-state-rinos-accountable\/","title":{"rendered":"Conservatives Must Hold &#8216;Red State&#8217; RINOs Accountable"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fconservatives-must-hold-red-state-rinos-accountable%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2430818&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Teh article critiques congressional Republicans for not advancing conservative priorities, especially despite holding slim majorities. It highlights a troubling trend in several Republican-controlled states, where lawmakers have failed to support conservative policies even with larger majorities. For example, in Texas, the GOP-controlled legislature recently passed a bill aimed at restricting political advertising that uses altered images or media, raising concerns among free speech advocates.Simultaneously occurring, key conservative initiatives are reportedly stalled, indicating a disconnect between the electorate\u2019s desires and legislative actions.<\/p>\n<p>The piece also discusses similar issues in Florida, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Montana, Tennessee, and Wyoming, where republican governors and lawmakers have faced resistance in passing conservative agenda items or have outright vetoed them. The author argues that many Republicans are more opportunists than true conservatives, merely adopting the rhetoric of the party rather than enacting meaningful change.<\/p>\n<p>To address this issue, the article calls for Republican voters to more closely evaluate candidates during primaries, focusing on their voting records and positions to ensure they align with the desires of the party\u2019s base. It emphasizes that transforming the GOP into a genuine &#8220;America Frist&#8221; party will take time and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >require sustained grassroots activism<\/a> to hold leaders accountable.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>A common talking point trotted out to defend congressional Republicans&rsquo; failure to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/is-the-west-becoming-fascist\/\" title=\"Is the West Becoming Fascist?\">advance conservative priorities<\/a> is that the party has slim majorities, and therefore, trying to pass anything outside of the usual &ldquo;uniparty&rdquo; slop is next to impossible. But if that&rsquo;s true, why does the same dynamic exist in states where Republicans have much larger legislative majorities and control the governor&rsquo;s mansion? <\/p>\n<p>On Wednesday, the GOP-controlled Texas House &mdash; which is run by liberal Republican Speaker <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/01\/28\/from-florida-to-texas-red-state-republicans-are-subverting-america-first-priorities-across-the-country\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dustin Burrows<\/a> &mdash; passed a bill that effectively seeks to criminalize the posting and distribution of certain altered media in political advertising. As <a href=\"https:\/\/texaspolitics.com\/2025\/04\/30\/is-the-texas-house-criminalizing-memes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">noted<\/a> by Texas Politics&rsquo; Daniel Molina, free speech advocates have argued the bill &ldquo;threatens to criminalize satire, parody, and political expression online.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Authored by liberal Republican Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/dade-phelan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dade Phelan<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/capitol.texas.gov\/BillLookup\/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&amp;Bill=HB366\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">HB 366<\/a> stipulates that an officeholder or political candidate &ldquo;may not, with the intent to influence an election, knowingly cause to be published, distributed, or broadcast political advertising that includes an image, audio recording, or video recording of an officeholder&rsquo;s or candidate&rsquo;s appearance, speech, or conduct that did not occur in reality, including an image, audio recording, or video recording that has been altered using generative artificial intelligence technology.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>The bill lists a few exceptions to this rule, including media that have had their light and\/or saturation adjusted and media with government-approved Disclaimers noting it has been altered.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Violators could face up to a year in jail under the proposed law,&rdquo; Molina wrote. <\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, many conservative-backed bills are <a href=\"https:\/\/texasscorecard.com\/state\/conservative-lawmakers-warn-texas-house-is-running-out-of-time-to-pass-gop-priorities\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reportedly<\/a> languishing in the House and at risk of not making it to Gov. Greg Abbott&rsquo;s desk before the 2025 session ends. This includes legislation related to election integrity, medical freedom, immigration, and more. <\/p>\n<p>While these antics may seem strange for a state dominated by Republicans, the failure to advance conservative priorities isn&rsquo;t exclusive to Texas. In fact, in many so-called &ldquo;red states&rdquo; across America, Republican lawmakers are quietly thwarting the will of their constituents. <\/p>\n<h2>A Nationwide Problem<\/h2>\n<p>Look at Florida, which is often viewed as the bastion of &ldquo;America First&rdquo; success. Despite his best efforts, Gov. Ron DeSantis has faced resistance this year from the state&rsquo;s GOP establishment, whose leaders have sought to stymie his 2025 legislative agenda.<\/p>\n<p>The early warning signs popped up in January after DeSantis <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/01\/15\/desantis-rolls-out-legislative-blueprint-to-fast-track-trumps-deportation-operations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">called<\/a> for a special session of the legislature to advance critical measures assisting the Trump administration&rsquo;s deportation operations. Rather than heed DeSantis&rsquo; request and fulfill the wishes of conservative voters, members of the state&rsquo;s GOP legislative leadership effectively scoffed at the idea, <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/01\/15\/desantis-rolls-out-legislative-blueprint-to-fast-track-trumps-deportation-operations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">calling<\/a>&nbsp;it &ldquo;premature&rdquo; and putting forward their own immigration bill (deceptively named the &ldquo;TRUMP Act&rdquo;) containing <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/02\/04\/nobody-is-buying-the-garbage-immigration-bill-florida-republicans-are-selling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">provisions<\/a> much weaker than those the governor requested.<\/p>\n<p>While a maximum pressure campaign ultimately <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/02\/11\/desantis-florida-legislature-strike-agreement-to-expedite-trumps-deportation-operations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">prompted<\/a> the legislature to give the governor most of what he was asking for, the fight was only the beginning. Since the start of the state&rsquo;s regularly scheduled 2025 session, Florida GOP legislators have <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/FLVoiceNews\/status\/1905290740181217613\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hampered<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/FLVoiceNews\/status\/1918457465697648984\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">numerous<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/floridapolitics.com\/archives\/731881-a-look-at-some-bills-that-are-struggling-in-the-legislature-as-sine-die-approaches\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">conservative-backed policies<\/a>&nbsp;sought by DeSantis and Republican voters, such as the expansion of E-Verify and the revocation of gun control policies&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fox13news.com\/news\/florida-senate-unlikely-pass-gun-law-repeal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">enacted<\/a>&nbsp;under former GOP Gov. Rick Scott.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>And that&rsquo;s only Texas and Florida. The situation is just as bad in other GOP-run states. <\/p>\n<p>In Oklahoma, Attorney General Gentner Drummond &mdash; who&rsquo;s running for governor next year &mdash; is <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/04\/30\/supreme-court-signals-support-for-allowing-nations-first-public-religious-charter-school\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">actively fighting<\/a> in court to prevent the establishment of the nation&rsquo;s first <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oklahoma-catholic-charter-school-faces-swift-atheist-backlash-and-lawsuit-threats\/\" title=\"A Catholic charter school in ... is facing backlash from atheists and threats of a lawsuit.\">religious public charter school<\/a>. Last week, the Oklahoma Republican&rsquo;s counsel argued on his behalf before the U.S. Supreme Court, pushing Drummond&rsquo;s outlandish claim that the board&rsquo;s sponsorship of St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School violates the Oklahoma Constitution and the U.S. Constitution&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/constitution.congress.gov\/constitution\/amendment-1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">establishment clause<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In North Dakota, GOP Gov. Kelly Armstrong <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.md\/1PJ4j\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">vetoed<\/a> two bills last month containing policy priorities widely supported by Republican voters. While one sought to expand school choice, the other stipulated that a &ldquo;public library or a school district may not maintain in an area easily accessible to minors explicit sexual material.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>As The Blaze&rsquo;s Daniel Horowitz <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.md\/1PJ4j#selection-1105.46-1113.85\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">noted<\/a>, it&rsquo;s unlikely there are enough votes in the GOP-dominated legislature to override Armstrong&rsquo;s vetoes.<\/p>\n<p>In Montana, nine Republican senators were <a href=\"https:\/\/mtgop.org\/resolution-of-the-montana-republican-party-mtgoprescinding-recognition-of-nine-montana-senators-asrepublicans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">censured<\/a> by the state GOP <a href=\"https:\/\/dailymontanan.com\/2025\/04\/04\/montana-republican-party-censures-nine-gop-senators-no-longer-considers-them-republicans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">last month<\/a> for actions the latter claims amounted to &ldquo;undermining the Republican majority leadership, and giving control of the Senate floor to Democrats,&rdquo; and &ldquo;obstructing key Republican priorities.&rdquo; The state party said in a statement that the GOP senators in question &ldquo;are no longer considered by the MTGOP as Republicans for the damage they have exacted on the Montana Senate by undermining the Republican Senate leadership, the Republican Party, and the will of the Montana Republican voters.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>In Tennessee, the GOP-controlled legislature <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.md\/lUrAs#selection-1139.0-1139.13\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ended its session<\/a> a few weeks ago without passing a pair of bills that sought to effectively bar illegal immigrant children from enrolling in state schools. Had one or both of the measures passed and been signed into law, it likely would have teed up a challenge to the U.S. Supreme Court&rsquo;s 1982 <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oyez.org\/cases\/1981\/80-1538\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Plyler v. Doe<\/a><\/em>  decision, which stipulated that states cannot deny a free public education to children of illegal aliens.<\/p>\n<p>In Wyoming, Republican Gov. Mark Gordon <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/03\/21\/gov-mark-gordon-makes-excuses-as-wyoming-enacts-voter-proof-of-citizenship-law-without-him\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">declined<\/a> to sign a bill earlier this year requiring residents to provide proof of U.S. citizenship to vote in elections. While Gordon didn&rsquo;t veto the measure and allowed it to become law without his signature, he parroted unsubstantiated concerns about voter disenfranchisement when explaining his decision to forgo signing the legislation.<\/p>\n<h2>A Fix Is Needed<\/h2>\n<p>Keep in mind that these examples of Republican betrayal are only from the first few months of 2025. As The Federalist previously <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/02\/05\/thanks-to-the-state-freedom-caucus-network-gop-legislatures-are-getting-more-conservative\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>, this type of behavior is rampant in many so-called &ldquo;red states&rdquo; every year and largely goes unnoticed. <\/p>\n<p>What&rsquo;s become evident at both the federal and state levels is that most Republicans &mdash; particularly those representing &ldquo;dark red&rdquo; areas &mdash; aren&rsquo;t actually conservative. Rather, they&rsquo;re opportunists who learned to play the game of politics.<\/p>\n<p>In today&rsquo;s political environment, any self-professed Republican can fashion himself as an &ldquo;America First&rdquo; candidate. By tying themselves to President Trump, regurgitating Fox News talking points, and rallying behind a widely supported, noncontroversial issue (like tax cuts or school choice), these bad actors are able to feign the appearance of being conservative without having to prove it.<\/p>\n<p>To rectify this alarming trend, it is incumbent upon GOP voters to look below the surface level of these candidates and thoroughly vet them in any given primary. That means digging into their voting records, finding out where they stand on party leadership disputes, and examining any other aspect of their history relevant to their candidacy.<\/p>\n<p>This guidance also applies to Trump and his team. <\/p>\n<p>All too often, the president has <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/05\/22\/trump-cant-drain-the-swamp-if-he-keeps-endorsing-its-worst-offenders\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">supported<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/03\/06\/by-backing-establishment-candidates-trump-hampers-his-voters-agenda\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">establishment-backed Republicans<\/a> who say nice things about him but actively seek to thwart his and his voters&rsquo; agenda. He recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2025\/03\/27\/trump-endorses-wonderful-friend-sen-lindsey-graham-for-reelection\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">endorsed<\/a> neocon Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ShawnFleetwood\/status\/1866205599781851236\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Lindsey Graham<\/a>, R-S.C., for reelection, and he is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reformaustin.org\/texas-legislature\/trump-to-endorse-dustin-burrows-for-texas-house-speaker-abbott-told-gop-caucus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reportedly<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MarkMcCaig\/status\/1917690527069163668\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">preparing<\/a> to endorse Burrows and Texas House Republicans who back a school choice proposal he favors.<\/p>\n<p>Turning the GOP into a real &ldquo;America First&rdquo; party isn&rsquo;t something that will be solved in one election cycle. It&rsquo;s a years-long effort that will require extensive grassroots activism and pressure on conservative leaders like Trump to ensure that the candidates seeking to fill the party&rsquo;s ranks actually care about and will fight for the voters&rsquo; wishes.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Republicans claim slim majorities hinder progress, but why is this true in states with larger GOP control?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2430819,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Texas.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[8049,4539,52777],"class_list":["post-2430818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-accountability","tag-conservatives","tag-rinos-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Texas.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2430818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2430818"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2430818\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2430822,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2430818\/revisions\/2430822"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2430819"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2430818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2430818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2430818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}