Republican-run states see opportunity to push extreme policies under Trump
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Emboldened red states could advocate for rightwing reforms from steep tax cuts to slashes to education. Republican state lawmakers and conservative leaders around the United States see Donald Trump’s re-election as a mandate that will help them enact rightwing policies in Republican-run states across the US.
The policies include steep tax cuts, environmental legislation, religion in schools and legislation concerning transgender medical care and education, among other hot-button social issues. Republicans will have trifecta control – meaning both legislative bodies and the governorship in a state – in 23 states next year, while Democrats will only control the three entities in 15 states. The other states have divided government.
“Arkansans went very favorably for President Trump, and I think Arkansans feel very similarly about President Trump as they do” Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said Ryan Rose, a Republican state representative in Arkansas, where his party has the trifecta.
“That will only empower our state to continue forward with more conservative policies, putting more money back in the pockets of hard-working Arkansans with tax cuts and supporting Arkansas conservative family values.”. While that federal and state control could allow Republicans to advance their top priorities, leaders of progressive groups point to other election outcomes – such as some red states supporting abortion rights – as evidence that even if people voted for Trump, that does not necessarily mean they support what opponents describe as extreme proposals.
