OXON HILL, Md.—Republicans lost the 2026 midterms because they failed to engage skeptical voters, said conservative commentator Scott Jennings and former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt.
“We lost because we’re just failing at competently explaining anything to anybody,” Jennings said on Wednesday at The Forum, The Heritage Foundation’s conference for conservatives.
“We got out-argued and in some cases we didn’t even try,” Jennings said. “I sort of make my living debating liberals, and I was watching this election cycle unfold, and I was wondering why aren’t we debating, or why aren’t we engaging in the actual debates over these policies more? It’s not enough just to say the words. You had to actually engage the arguments.”
The pair broke down the GOP’s sweeping losses, arguing that Republican candidates also didn’t adequately defend the party’s wins. Jennings urged candidates to be authentic and honest about why they are running.
Pratt, who lost the Los Angeles mayoral primary in June, said conservatives suffered their worst defeats on social media. He told attendees he performed well on platforms like TikTok by keeping his content focused on his own community’s issues.
“What’s the story? What are the wins?” Pratt said. “President [Donald] Trump has done so many great things, but that’s not getting to the people on TikTok. The people we’re up against, they are owning these algorithms. They have the message.”
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Jennings said that solutions start with “asking the simplest questions.”
“Because one thing I have found in my job is that asking a very simple question often finds the liberal arguments melting like a paper straw, and they’re not prepared to answer short, simple questions because no one ever asks them,” Jennings said.
Pratt said Democrats have a “machine” driving their social media engagement and that Republicans should devote more resources to those platforms, noting they already face a double standard.
“It’s an unfair playing field because if I did anything that like [Democrat Sen.-elect] Abdul El-Sayed did, I’m cringe or I’m jester booming or I’m a whatever all his slang is. But they can do it. ‘Oh, look how funny his lipsyncing is.’ So, they can do anything and it’s still taken seriously,” Pratt said.
Pratt said the GOP needs to admit its failures and show voters they are willing to change. He said Republicans should run on cutting taxes, creating jobs, and promoting capitalism.
“We need that messaging to make Republicans that are mad be heard and have that moment like we failed you, we are stepping up,” Pratt said. “We are going to change.”
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