'Going Back Is A Mistake': GOP Strategist Gives Advice For Republicans Following Midterms Wipeout

0:02Hi, everybody. I'm Brittany Lewis, a breaking news reporter here at Forbes. Joining me once again is Adam Goodman. He's a partner at Ballard Partners. Adam, thanks so much for coming back on.

0:13Adam Goodman: It's been a hell of a week, hasn't it? It has been a hell of a year in a hell of a week in a hell of a couple of days. And I want to talk about it all. It's actually been a hell of a five minutes because news just broke, which we will get to later. But I do want to talk about what we're all talking about, what the whole country is talking about. And those are the midterm election results. Democrats won by a landslide on Tuesday nights. Polls predicted Democratic wins, but they underestimated just how big they would be. So to start off the conversation, what happened? What's your reaction here?

0:45Adam Goodman: OK, if you're a political scientist, say you if it's possible, you detach yourself from the passion of campaigns and you looked at how the numbers were coming together. and the narratives. What happened Tuesday night, frankly, was very predictable. Maybe not to the extent it happened, but the fact it did happen. When you see margin of error races, Brittany, you see 45, 45, 46, 44. But underneath those numbers, you see the major issues are going one way in the direction of one candidate. You see the person who was not on the ballot, and the numbers obviously in this case that the president brought into play in the midterms, there was only one way this was going to go.

1:29Adam Goodman: And in some ways, to me, it was reminiscent of 2016 in that. I guess it was one of the few that made the prediction that Trump was going to prevail if he came into that final weekend in essentially close to a dead heat, which he did. He was very close, I think, to Hillary, margin of error. Because underneath it, Americans were hurting. And you heard that all over the place. You didn't hear that from mainstream media. They said, wait a minute, the job numbers are good and inflation is down. No, the cost of living and the squeeze where the wages weren't going up as fast as, you know, as everyday expenses, the everyday experience of people, that was very, very clearly in play, not reported by the media, but was underneath all those ballot numbers.

2:16Adam Goodman: And I said, oh, my God, if it's that close, Donald Trump is going to be president of the United States. So now fast forward to 2026, and you see all these swing states with relatively close numbers, and yet the narrative was very, very much going away in the party in power. And the everyday experience of Americans was somewhat similar in some ways to 2016, and it was only going to go one way. Now, here's the – and let me say this will sound maybe a little unexpected coming from my direction, but I find there's – part of this is very refreshing. We are a two-party system. I think we do best when we bring best ideas to the table and it's not dominated by one party or the other.

3:04Adam Goodman: I think that's good for democracy. Another thing to look at is around the world in 2024 and 2026 and virtually every national election in the in the West, in Western civilization and democracies, the ruling power, Brittany, has lost seats. All of them, literally without exception. They've all lost. And I think that's bringing into play something I hope we all learn from in this election. And that's what elections are. They're report cards, not just on parties that are in power or not and candidates that are aspiring or trying to hold on. They're report cards on us. What do we really want? What are we really looking for?

3:50Adam Goodman: What Americans as well as people around the world are looking for are results. They want to see stuff happen, and whether it's coming from the left, the center, or the right, they're less concerned about the direction of it. But the import of it, they really want, and they're seeing far less of that than ever. So now the Democrats get to step up and have a shot at showing they can get things done. But they didn't win because they're Democrats because the party image was pretty punky for Democrats going into Election Day. It's probably still the same. They didn't win because they had the best ideas in the world.

4:27They won because they weren't what is, and what is was really upsetting people.

4:33Adam Goodman: Right. And the other thing is and the other thing that's heartening, think of all the barriers that were broken. You had the first Native American to serve as governor of a state in New Mexico, the first Native American to serve a woman to serve in the United States Senate. You've got all these incredible African-American leaders. You have the new governor of Georgia, the new governor on the other side of the line, Byron Donaldson, Florida. All those, I think, should make people feel good that as a society, we are evolving to the point where there's representation across the board for almost every major demographic in America.

5:15Adam Goodman: That should be a sign of health in democracy, and I'm kind of heartened by that. What is disheartening is I think there's still a lot of distrust that people in America have across the board that any of this is going to make a real major transformative difference. And that is where the now, we'll call it the new group, the new ruling class that's come into the Congress, they have a chance to prove those doubt and those doubters wrong. I was just having a conversation earlier with a pollster and he said if people could take anything away from this election, it's that democracy is alive and well.

5:54So he shared very similar sentiments to you. But I'm curious if you're Republicans today and you're sitting there and you're thinking what went wrong and you're giving you're talking about the list and it's people aren't happy with the war against Iran. People are not happy with this perception of corruption inside politics. People are not happy, top line, the cost of living and how high prices have been and how much prices have been outpacing wage growth. I'm curious, what would you give the Trump administration and Republicans on that report card that you're talking about? And what changes do you think they need to be making internally right now when they're in this moment of reflection?

6:34Adam Goodman: Great question. It's not what I think. It's what the American people think. The American people didn't think much of what they're getting right now. And that's why they voted the way they did. The remedy, though, is not to double down. The remedy is not either also is not to go backwards. In other words, there's a lot of there are a lot of people in the Republican Party saying, well, we've got to get back to our roots. Mainstream conservatism and all that represents, et cetera. I think going back is a mistake to go forward. Going for moving forward means getting something substantively done that improves life for Americans.

7:11Adam Goodman: And if I were to give advice to the party, it is – and frankly, if I were to give advice to either party, it would be the same. Come up with some major league things that you can rally the country around because what the country is also saying, Brittany, is we don't like what's going on. We feel less and less in control of our lives and of our future. We feel harder and harder pressed economically. It's hard to find the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. Give them something to cheer about again. So I came up with five ideas, but I mean, and I'm not the idea policy person, but these intuitively are the kinds of ideas Americans could get excited about if they're presented right.

7:55Adam Goodman: And let me start with what that means, presenting right. Bring them to the table right up front. Tell them this is what we're setting out to do. We're going to give you a report card in real time about how we're doing on these issues. And if what we're trying to do to achieve them is not working as well or as fast as we want, we're going to let you know because you're going to know too. and we're going to do something about it instead of, oh, you know, that person or that group or that institution is to blame. So here are five ideas just to try on in no particular order. Make housing affordable.

8:34Adam Goodman: You know, if you're a young person trying to buy your first house, it's like nigh impossible for so many people. It's wrong. commit ourselves to to simplify to simplifying permitting train a whole new generation of people in construction and make housing kind of job number one if housing is going well so goes the economy and so goes the country health care lower cost and make it more transparent bring everyone to the table and let people major people to the table and let them know we will lionize them as super as patriots for giving something back losing something maybe on their bottom line if necessary to advance the cause of everybody who are more and more feeling again lost in control over their health care infrastructure big miss by both president trump in his first and second terms biden in in between that was an easy one it's a it's it's easy because people can see right before their eyes, the results of that, and again, reporting out in real time.

9:39Adam Goodman: And finally, I'll give you one more, and that is make government services both better and faster. We have technology now. We have the technology to really drive connection between the populace and government. And government, of course, is always the last, it seems, to adopt all the latest in technology. They They need to be in the front row of that. And if they do, people just having that sense of government, I can get to government, I can get an answer, and things need to be moving. That will improve, I think, the general feeling people have about government overall. And ultimately, that things at least, finally, are moving away from partisan gridlock, which intellectually you can say, well, a lot of people say that's good for the country.

10:26Adam Goodman: It's not good. It's not good when you're not advancing at all, and other parts of the world are, because you know where that story ends. So I think I'm very optimistic that when you have a watershed event like we just experienced this week, it has the potential of doing some really big, important things for everybody that everyone can cheer for, regardless of ideology or party. And those are issues everyone can get behind, right? Right. Housing. The cost of housing is too high. That's I've heard that from Republicans, Democrats and everyone in between. The cost of health care is too high. The same thing.

11:05And I've also heard from a lot of people this feeling of being disenfranchised. Right. I feel like nothing is getting done for me. I feel like I am just going to work every day, slaving away. And at the same time, life is just becoming less and less affordable. And there's nothing getting done. there is this partisan gridlock. I'm curious, who do you think is the Republican to meet this moment? Because as we wrap up conversations on the midterms, now the conversations on 2028 are open wide up. And it seems a bit like knives are out for Vice President Vance a little bit. It seemed like he was the heir apparent.

11:41He was the front runner. He could have easily been the GOP nominee. Now, not so much. And someone who said this, I think the most clearly is former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and I want to get your take on what he said. He said this, the scale of the Republican defeat is so great that it makes the race for the GOP presidential nomination wide open. If the administration had won a big victory, Vice President J.D. Vance would have had had an enormous argument to be the inevitable nominee. Now, with this go slow strategy blowing up in Iran and his defense of Vivek Ramaswamy's horrible, inhumane ad featuring his opponent's mother attacking her own daughter, a good bit of the luster has come off the bloom.

12:19The number of people who want to draft Secretary of State Marco Rubio is staggering. And then he goes, in addition, Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton, Ron DeSantis, Pete Hegseth, Glenn Yunkin, and a surprising number of people may decide this is their chance to take advantage of the chaos of the shocking defeat and seek to be the champion who can rescue the party and the country. A name that's everyone's floating around is Marco Rubio, obviously. But what do you make of that? And what do you think this moment means for J.D. Vance and 2028?

12:49Adam Goodman: Okay, so first of all, what people really want is they want confidence and achievement. What you're talking about is the great audition. There's going to be a full audition of all sorts of people that may be the right play, the right fix for the Republican Party as a nominee in 28. All the names you talked about are quality people. But the judgment will be made by American voters. J.D. Vance has, obviously, being vice president, he shoulders being a direct part of this administration. He's already, as you know, created some divide, if that's the right word, on the Iran war, which he clearly had trepidation about.

13:37Adam Goodman: There may be more things he's going to show independence on as well moving forward. Obviously, he's got to be cognizant of the fact that he still serves at the pleasure of the president of the United States, and he has to work with that president. So that's kind of a tricky place to be. You saw that struggle not just with Kamala Harris. She was nervous, clearly, about distancing herself at all in any respect from Joe Biden. We've seen that before going back to Al Gore. when Al Gore was running for president after serving as vice president under Bill Clinton. But he will have a shot. But he has to have a message that I think is resonant in the here and now.

14:21Adam Goodman: That's not reflective of what was, but what will be. And Marco Rubio, you mentioned. I think Marco, arguably, is one of the most skilled people on either side of the fence in America today that could take, if necessary, was brought into play to be president tonight, could hit the ground running. He's that good. One, he's got to determine, though, for himself, is this what he wants to do? He and his family has given so much of his life already to serving the public. That's going to be not just a political consideration. It's a real consideration with him, as I know him. He really cares deeply about his family.

14:58Adam Goodman: He knows his family's paid a great sacrifice already in all the public service that he's committed himself to. But if he were to run. He's formidable for all the obvious reasons. And you look at great communicators. The one thing you give the President of the United States, and there are detractors now about his communications, certainly over the last year, but what propelled him to office was that. His ability to stand on his own two feet and compel an audience. Who can do that? And the question is, Brittany, the same for the other side of the fence, for the Democrats. Who among the Democrats has that capacity and capability to compel an audience, to motivate people, to follow them, to take the hill, so to speak?

15:43Adam Goodman: And there are a number of players, I think, on the Democratic side that could fit that bill too. But like Republicans, they're going to be going through their own great audition. And how you get through that, not do I have a good debate. Like we saw a lot of candidates, I think about Elizabeth Warren, When she was running for president, she had, I thought, a very, very solid first debate, and then everything went south. We had Kamala Harris, who had kind of lousy early debates and got better through time. It's not about a single debate. It's about an impression people have of who could take the reins of power in the White House and actually get stuff done.

16:23And I think getting stuff done will become the new rallying cry of those who will succeed in the years ahead politically.

16:30Adam Goodman: And it has very little to do, in my opinion, very little to do, as it used to, with party ID, with ideology, even you might say background credentials. Who is it that looks like they mean it and can actually get stuff done? And I think Americans are frustrated, Brittany, that we're not doing enough of that anymore. Now it's President Trump's last two years to get stuff done. And I'm curious, what do you think he should do in this moment? How should he be letting these results marinate in his mind? How does he course correct? Because he's a lame duck president now. I'm sure he doesn't want this to be his legacy, right?

17:10That Republicans just got smacked in his last midterms. What do you think he should do? Because news just broke right before you and I came on that, I mean, and we see this in every midterm cycle, right, that there's this correction. You see some cabinet officials out, new ones in, and we're seeing that already because his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, she's out. He's replacing her with Stephen Miller, called him a trusted advisor or something to that nature. How do you think President Trump course cracks and what do you make of that announcement?

17:41Adam Goodman: Well, it always, to your point, it always happens. I think the average life expectancy of a chief of staff to a president of the United States is about 18 months. So she's right there, right? And she's served him admirably. You get this from everybody, that Susie Wiles was one of those voices around the table that really leavened things at times when it was really important to have that kind of input. So I think she's going to be fondly remembered for her service to the president. But, like, and this will not be the last. There will be, I think, many announcements, especially when you have a midterm like this.

18:17Adam Goodman: Generally, what follows is some relatively significant personnel changes. So I think you could expect more of that as we start to move ahead. But to your original question, which is an important one, what should the president do or aspire to do in the last two years as in office? I'd say it this way. Bring it home. Bring it home, meaning let's end the conflict we are currently engaged in in the Middle East and hopefully have it lead to something that seemed to be in play, full play about a year and a half ago, which was the aspect, possibility of peace, the Abraham Accords. bring the Ukrainian situation home for a landing.

18:57Adam Goodman: Those are your two foreign policy ideas. And then to find at least one economic driver of everyday life in America and own it. And own it to the point where you say to now a Democratic Congress, I'm not going to move anything with you guys until or unless you get on board on something that everyone agrees we must do. It could be the housing piece, for instance. Get everybody on board. And I think if he does that, then whatever honors, monuments are built to him now or in the future will have greater merit and greater consequence. And he's got time to do that still, and I think that's what I'm hopeful he's going to be trying to do in the last two years of service.

19:45Do you think in order to end the war, he needs to get rid of Pete Hegseth? because if we remember 20 years ago, Republicans got smacked again in those midterms. People weren't happy with the war in Iraq. The next day, it was announced that Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, he was out. Do you think Hegseth has to go? Because ABC reporter Jonathan Karl, he said that he had a conversation with President Trump, and Trump told him this morning he intends to keep Pete Hegseth on as Defense Secretary. And I'll read out what Jonathan Karl posts on social media. Trump said, I have every intention to keep him.

20:19And then he said this. Trump acknowledged receiving calls from people unhappy with Hegseth, but said this. I get these calls, you know, about him. I don't understand why. He also acknowledged it would be easier to confirm a new defense secretary before the Democrats take over the Senate in January. Read the tea leaves there. Is that leaving the door open possibly for Hegseth to get the boot in the next two months? And two, is it tone deaf to say, hey, I don't know why people are so mad at Pete Hegseth here. when a large part of why he lost or why Republicans lost these elections is because of the war against Iran.

20:54Adam Goodman: OK, so the latter part, you could argue, is disingenuous. But the first part, you know, just like with Susie Wiles, the chief of staff, it is almost expected if something on someone's watch as a cabinet level player is not going according to plan, that they tend not to be full of longevity on the job. I think, but it's ticklish because if you say, I think Pete Hegseth should go, what the president also will be saying, essentially in the years of a lot of people, is, well, he's not been successful and we have to get rid of him. And that's almost an admission of failure on the Iran initiative. And I think at the very least, if you give the president any credit at all on Iran, and not certainly the conduct of the war, it turned out to be something no one expected, right?

21:48Adam Goodman: I'll call it the war, whatever you want to call it, the battle, the engagement, is the idea, and he should have communicated that more clearly, maybe up front. The Iran situation is all about meaningful intelligence that Iran was very close to having nuclear capability. That's a scary thing for the world. That was a rationale for going in. how the conduct of the war is a whole other issue, and I think that's going to be reviewed very mightily by the Democratic Congress. And the thing about – one more thing about Pete Hegseth, and this is all over the discussion boards, he's going to be under pressure to keep his job as he's going to be called before a not-so-friendly audience in the United States Congress in the weeks and months ahead.

22:35Adam Goodman: And is that the way the administration wants to go through this, Or do they want to kind of cut their losses on that front, bring in something fresh, and again do what I'm suggesting should be done for the president to come in and bring everything home, which is to end the war, to resolve the Ukrainian situation, and to find one signature domestic achievement. One. It could be just one that he says is the line drawing. And if you're not with me, nothing else is going to move. I think that would be a good way for him to make to leave people with a sense of value for the service that he has given the country for, at that point, the better part of eight years.

23:21It feels like we're at this precipice of a new political era, a new political landscape. Do you agree with me there? I mean, what's this feel like for you? What are you looking out for next? Does this mean the death of MAGA? I know you said you want Republicans to move on forward, but there's been so much chatter, so much talk the past couple of days on the midterms and what happened and all of that analysis. But I'm curious, what do you think is missing from all of that when it comes to looking at this new political era ahead?

23:52Adam Goodman: What did MAGA essentially represent? It represented a rejection of the status quo, that people felt so dissatisfied with the way the country was going. they pulled together, somewhat loosely pulled together. It wasn't from an organized effort. They just kind of, it was almost spontaneous combustion that brought people, and these are people of different ideologies. These are not like rock-rib Republicans, rock-rib conservatives. These are Americans who just felt we had had enough, and we needed to do something differently. I still think there's a great hunger and a great audience, a majority audience for that message that traverses and goes beyond any label.

24:33Adam Goodman: And I think that is where things are going to move. Whoever can energize Americans that we are going to get back to doing things, getting things done and doing things great again, you know, make America great again. Let's do something great. Let's do something that everyone agrees. You know what? I didn't, I'm not sure if I like that party or like that person, But boy, what an achievement. And that makes me feel maybe just maybe this country is getting back on its best, its best, you know, wheels and moving. Adam Goodman, it's always a pleasure speaking with you. Thank you so much for lending your time today.

25:11I hope we can have many more conversations leading up to 2028.

25:15Adam Goodman: Looking forward to it. You take care, Brittany.

25:26Thank you.