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Matt and Mercedes Schlapp used their appearance on Carl Higbie’s FRONTLINE to deliver a blunt message: the midterm elections must be the conservative movement’s top priority this year. Their argument was simple and unapologetic — CPAC is not just a celebration of ideas, it’s the organizing hub where activists, donors, and candidates coordinate the fight to hold power at the state and local level.
Mercedes Schlapp stressed that CPAC’s theme of renewal matters because policy wins don’t come from speeches alone; they come from victories in legislatures and governorships that translate national momentum into real governing power. If conservatives want to keep the gains of recent years and push back against entrenched left-wing policies, the Schlappps argued, the machinery built at conferences like CPAC needs to be deployed toward midterm turnout and candidate recruitment.
Matt Schlapp reminded viewers that President Trump’s agenda — from economic revival to national security — requires friendly majorities to implement and defend it, and that ignoring down-ballot contests is how movements lose hard-won ground. That warning is not theoretical; it’s a blueprint drawn from past cycles where complacency cost Republicans control and influence. Conservatives should heed that lesson and convert momentum into votes and infrastructure.
This is a sober, strategic call-to-arms, not a pep talk: winning national rhetoric without sustained local organization is a recipe for disappointment. The Schlappps invited activists to view CPAC as the command center for that organization — a place to train volunteers, vet candidates, and synchronize messaging so the conservative agenda can be defended in state capitals and county courthouses.
Critics in the mainstream media will paint this as theatrical or insular, but the reality is that durable policy victories are fought and won on election days most people never notice. If conservatives want to reshape courts, budgets, and school boards, they must prioritize the midterms the way every successful movement does: with resources, discipline, and a focus on turnout rather than soundbites.
The Schlappps’ message should unsettle complacent voices on the right who think national headlines are enough. CPAC represents the muscle of the movement, and the midterms are the mechanism to convert muscle into lasting power. Those who care about limited government, secure borders, and the revival of American institutions would do well to listen and act — because elections are the only language politics understands.
