The Daily Signal’s Senior National Security and Legal Analyst Mehek Cooke said Republican incumbents across the country should view primary elections as warnings that voters are no longer satisfied with candidates who campaign as conservatives but fail to deliver once in office.
Appearing on Newsmax to discuss the midterm elections and the Texas Republican primary race between Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton, Cooke said the fight is not simply a “Trump loyalty test.” She said it is better understood as a “voter loyalty test,” arguing that Republican voters gave the party a mandate to secure the border, confirm judges, and advance President Donald Trump’s agenda.
Voters are “tired of ‘mostly Republican’ being good enough,” Cooke said. “Voters are done actually electing Republicans who campaign like warriors and then act like hall monitors.”
Cooke said that incumbency is no longer a “lifetime appointment,” especially for Republicans who oppose key parts of Trump’s agenda and refuse to follow through. She pointed to the filibuster as a central issue, saying voters want Republicans to use their governing power to turn campaign promises into law, rather than relying solely on the executive orders Trump signed.
Cooke also pushed back on criticism that Trump’s endorsements are about personal loyalty and are shortsighted. “There are many people in the Republican Party who have different ideas, and we are still watching President Trump work with them,” she said. However, she added the real issue is whether Republicans will fight for the agenda voters elected them to enact.
Discussing the case of one Republican incumbent who suffered a primary defeat, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., Cooke argued that his opposition to major Trump-backed policy priorities, including the “Big Beautiful Bill” and Iran, doomed his chances.
“The fact that Border Patrol, [TSA] agents, and all these agencies aren’t actually getting funded, that’s the bigger issue today,” Cooke said.
Asked about midterm risks for Republicans, Cooke said affordability remains a major issue but argued Trump inherited an inflation crisis from former President Joe Biden. She said Trump has already brought down gas prices and remains focused on avoiding another long war while preventing Iran from holding the United States and Gulf states hostage.
Cooke said Republicans can win the midterm argument if they deliver on security, affordability, and enforcement.
