# Opinion: Justin Haskins Says Republicans Lost on Three Failures: No Big Vision, No Fix for Affordability, and the Iran War

In a Fox News column, Haskins argues conservatives must offer a transformative alternative to socialism, cut spending to ease prices, and stop failing to explain the war. The views are his.

- Section: [Opinion](https://rightnewsrightnow.com/opinion/)
- Published: 2026-11-04
- By: RightNewsRightNow Staff
- Canonical page: https://rightnewsrightnow.com/articles/opinion-justin-haskins-three-reasons-republicans-lost-vision-affordability-iran-war-2028-fox-news/

This is a summary of an opinion column on Fox News by Justin Haskins. The views are his, not RightNewsRightNow's.

His thesis. Haskins writes that the midterms exposed "three critical Republican failures" that could shape 2028 unless conservatives fix them soon.

One: no big vision. Socialists, he argues, have "a grand vision for transforming society," while the typical Republican answer is lower taxes and a secure border, which he calls important but not a "sweeping, transformative vision" that can inspire younger voters. He asks for a conservative version: low, flat taxes, far less federal spending, and power returned to states and localities so Americans with different values can live under rules that fit them.

Two: affordability. Haskins says Republicans have not solved the cost-of-living problem that helped return Trump to office. He cites the Federal Housing Finance Agency index, which shows home prices up 54% from January 2020 to December 2024 and another 2.8% from January 2025 through August 2026. He credits the administration with deregulation, pro-energy policy and making the 2017 tax cuts permanent, but says it also wasted time on corporate subsidies and federal ownership stakes. He says the deficit hit $1.99 trillion in fiscal 2026 and argues deficit spending feeds inflation. His fix: far deeper spending cuts, lower borrowing costs and fewer barriers to building housing and energy supply.

Three: the Iran war. Whatever one thinks of the war, he writes, Trump failed to convince enough Americans it should be a top priority, it split the president's coalition, and higher gas and energy prices piled on. He says that does not mean the war was wrong, and "there are serious arguments on both sides," but a president must show the sacrifices are worth it.

His closing. Without a sweeping vision, real gains on affordability and priorities that match ordinary Americans' concerns, he warns, socialist and progressive policies could dominate 2028.

Related. Our earlier reports covered Vance's blaming of the war and other opinion columns on the loss.

## Source

Original reporting: [Fox News (opinion by Justin Haskins)](https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/justin-haskins-3-huge-reasons-republicans-lost-heres-what-they-need-win-2028)