Tight polls in a key Tennessee race are triggering alarms among Republicans, with Rep. Tim Burchett warning that the party is “asleep at the switch” while Democrats flood the zone with money and ground-game infrastructure. Burchett said the GOP has left a major opening, noting that only 12% of voters typically turn out in these contests—making organization, not ideology, the deciding factor.
Fox News contributor Liz Peek agreed that Republicans may be sluggish in Tennessee but argued that the broader GOP has finally awakened to the power of affordability and economic anxiety. She said Democrats—despite being the party of “high cost, high taxes, [and] high regulation”—have somehow positioned themselves as champions of the average American. Peek predicted a major effort by President Trump and GOP candidates to reclaim the economic narrative ahead of the midterms.
Peek emphasized that Republicans have a strong case: under Biden, prices rose about 20% overall, including a staggering 9% in a single year. She pointed to Trump’s expertise in housing, his plans to reduce construction costs, and his intent to appoint a new Federal Reserve chair committed to lowering interest rates. Combined with expected economic growth in 2026 and the benefits of the “big beautiful bill”—including tax relief like eliminating taxes on tips—Peek argued the GOP has a powerful opportunity to reset the messaging.
