All In To Win: What Happened In The Midterms? | Chuck Hurley

Bob: Hi, I’m Bob Vander Plaats, and welcome to another episode of All In to Win. I’m so grateful that you’re taking the time to tune into these episodes, and especially today’s episode.

As we look back at All In to Win, remember what the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:24 through the end of the chapter: We do not want to be disqualified for the prize. We want to be all in to win, but we don’t want to be disqualified for the prize.

Joining me today is Chuck Hurley. He’s the Vice President of Elections and Policy and a longtime friend. He’s been here at The Family Leader for 28 years, I believe, Chuck? He says he’s a lifer. Chuck, welcome to today’s episode.

Chuck: It’s good to be with you, Bob.

Bob: You know, I think it was the Jersey Boys, and it wasn’t a good song either, so don’t Google it. But they had a song: “Oh, What a Night.” You know, I look at last night, being election night, and think, “Oh, what a night!” I’ve been through some election night experiences where I thought things were going to go one way, and they went the other way.

I thought Hillary Clinton was going to be president in 2016. I was told it was going to be a short night. She was going to win with a mandate. Then Donald Trump came up from behind and beat her, and that’s how we got President Donald J. Trump.

We’ve become accustomed to not really believing in the polls anymore. The last poll I saw was the New York Times poll. I even told Steve Deace, a good friend of ours, “Steve, bookmark this poll, because there is no way this is happening tomorrow night.”

The New York Times showed it was going to be not just a blue wave, but a blue tsunami. And my goodness, it was a blue tsunami last night.

Give me your take.

Chuck: You might say it was a “huge” wave.

Bob: A huge wave it was.

Chuck: It was a Donald Trump repudiation. You know, let’s just put it out there: There are a lot of factors that go into races, but without a doubt, independents especially, and Democrats, were sending Donald Trump a message.

Bob: I was just talking to one of our team members, and I also talked to one of the media people who have been calling a lot. We’ll get into that a little bit later as I talk about 2028, last night’s results, and those types of things, how does that relate, what are the implications there…but I said know that when I led the charge, which you were part of and The Family Leader was part of, to oust three judges, the opposition needed a boogeyman. They needed to have a face. I was the face. I became the boogeyman.

And last night, I believe the left, the progressives, and the Democrats needed a boogeyman. The boogeyman was Donald Trump.

You’re saying it was a repudiation. Tell me what you think. Why did America revolt the way they did last night?

Chuck: In the simplest terms, cost. You know, the high cost of gas. Everyday people are driving to work and seeing the signs. That gave them a focus, you might even say a simplistic focus, but it was very clear.

Then there were issues like the price of food, the price of rent, and the war, which is tied to the high cost.

So in very simple terms–and I think you can make it pretty simple, we can go into the nuances–there were a couple of other factors, but that was the big one.

Bob: If you look at anything about keeping it simple, James Carville, the Democratic analyst and consultant, boiled it down to, “It’s the economy, stupid.” It’s all about the economy.

And I think in this case, you have a war in Iran. Even though I can support President Trump and what he’s doing, I don’t want Iran to have a nuclear weapon–but communicating the conservative principles to the nation about why we’re doing what we’re doing, and why we need you to team with us to pay these higher prices, seemed to be a challenge.

And yet people are feeling the price at the gas pump. It’s not just the gas filling up your car. It’s the diesel getting the crops out and the diesel carrying the food to the grocery store. All the prices are going up. Inflation is going up. And the cost of getting into that first home is going up or becoming unattainable.

It’s a little bit like Reagan: Are you better off than you were four years ago? Are you better off than you were two years ago?

Chuck: That’s it. And Trump and others would say, “Well, Biden’s inflation was way worse—9.7%.” Well, yeah, that was worse. But remember, Biden got beat because of high inflation, in large part.

People are very attuned to price, and that’s just the way it is.

We could harp on this all day, but frankly, a lot of the disappointment comes from losing really good people who didn’t really have anything to do with the high cost. That’s what hurts me the most.

Bob: So we’re going to get to some of the people we lost. But when you go back to the boogeyman principle, I remember—and President Trump is a friend. He and I go way back. But when President Trump would say, “Vote like I’m on the ballot,” I was kind of like, “Whoa, don’t do that.”

Meaning, that’s what the Democrats are saying: Make this a repudiation of him. And then Trump was reinforcing that by saying, “Vote like I’m on the ballot.”

A lot of things went into that blue wave. Talk about some of them that you saw in states like Texas and Kansas, where you’re from.

Chuck: Oh, boy. Kansas hasn’t elected a Democrat as their United States senator for 90 years. That’s a long time.

Texas had a 20-point blowout for the U.S. Senate. Nobody saw that coming.

Bob: No.

Chuck: And then here in Iowa, I went through four or five hours last night with some of my best friends—people I’ve served in the legislature with and people I’ve worked with since I left the legislature in the ’90s. It was hard to take. It was depressing.

But there were several silver linings we’ll get to in a little bit. We had some great Christians get elected last night here in Iowa, and we’ll live to fight another day.

I know a lot of people maybe haven’t seen this kind of wave. I’ve seen it before. In fact, the first time I was on the ballot, we had a blue wave in 1988.

And so, good nights, bad nights—you keep fighting for your principles. That’s where I’m at personally.

Bob: Again, I lived through a wave like this in 2006, when I was the lieutenant governor nominee. That was all about the war in Iraq and weapons of mass destruction. People wanted to send George W. Bush a message, and a lot of people in the states got hurt because of that, including Jim Nussle, who was the governor candidate at that time, and me as the lieutenant governor candidate.

Then we got beat by Chet Culver and Patty Judge by nine points that night. It was a blue wave sending George W. Bush a message. Everybody thought, “All is lost. This is now cemented in the cake. We’re going to have Democratic leadership for the foreseeable future,” and on and on. Things change quickly.

But let’s go back to last night. Kansas, a deep-red state, elected a Democratic governor and a Democratic U.S. senator. Texas—not only did Talarico win by big numbers over Ken Paxton, but you lost Governor Abbott. You lost statewide candidates everywhere.

Texas is a red state. I’ve always said that if you lose Texas, how do you do the electoral math for the Electoral College in a presidential election?

Then you look at Kansas, where you’re from. It wasn’t just the U.S. Senate candidate; the governor candidate went down as well.

Ohio is another Trump state. Vivek Ramaswamy goes down, Husted goes down. This was state after state after state, except for the state of Florida. Florida was a–we held serve. I’m not saying it was a shining light, but at least it held serve.

Chuck: It was close in Florida. We were sweating it out through the night, but thank God a pro-lifer did replace a pro-lifer in the governor’s mansion there.

Like I said earlier, there were some bright spots here and there, but the narrative is, wow, nationwide, pro-life and pro-family people were removed from office. That’s tragic, but it’s not the end of the story. We live to fight another day.

We’ll have some wins and some defensive wins here in Iowa, but 2028 is already starting up. That’s the nature of the business we’re in.

Bob: Right away, for those of us who are believers, all is not lost because of an election. We know who the Lord of Lords is. We know who the King of Kings is. We know that God is still on the throne. He’s not surprised by any of this.

This just means we need to be more diligent. We stay in the fight and stay in the game to make sure we’re electing ministers of God, advancing righteous and just policy, and we’re seeing biblical partnerships. We want to see all of that as well.

Some of the silver linings, though: You had a national tsunami, and yet when the country saw this blue tsunami, they saw the state of Washington on the left coast affirm “Save girls’ sports. Men don’t get to play in girls’ sports.”

You saw that in Kansas. You saw it in Arizona. Here in the state of Iowa, which went hugely Democratic at the top of the ticket and at the congressional level, they voted for a constitutional amendment saying you can’t raise my income taxes.

Talk about some of those silver linings.

Chuck: So yeah, uh, forgive me, Bob. I was up most of the night analyzing, and I’m really tired.

Bob: I’m not tired—I’m inspired!

Chuck: There are several silver linings, and frankly, I’m in a really good mood.

As I drove into the office today, I talked to a fine Christian candidate who lost last night. She should have won in a normal year. Great lady. Greg Baker loves her. She’s just all that.

She and I were praying and discussing, “Okay, what should the Lord’s church do with this mess?”

One of the silver linings is that she’s more energized than ever to learn from this, come back, and help recruit good, godly people to run and help them get elected.

While it isn’t all about politics at The Family Leader, it’s partly about politics. And that’s because we love our neighbor. We don’t want babies to be killed in the womb. We don’t want human trafficking to flourish.

And so, I’m encouraged. I’m inspired. I’ve seen this cycle now probably four or five times, with ups and downs.

The silver lining is that there are some very dedicated Christians, including pastors, who I think are more engaged than they’ve ever been. I think part of that is Greg Baker and his team.

Bob: Let’s talk about dedicated Christians and engaged pastors, and being all in to win.

Of course, we’re all in to win. We want to elect the right people to represent God’s government and be leaders in God’s government, right?

Did the church show up yesterday? Did the church engage in the election in Iowa and across the country? What are you seeing?

Chuck: Our numbers show that they did. So why didn’t we win when the church is more engaged than ever? Mainly because the independents just went blue to send a message.

But I think the dedicated Christians, and those who are watching this, will understand that we can’t be so selfish that it’s all about my pocketbook. We have to think about other people, like the voiceless unborn, when we cast our votes.

While Christians aren’t necessarily a majority in this country, they’re a sizeable minority. And we at The Family Leader are going to continue to educate and inspire Christians to be the voice for those who don’t have a voice.

In a close election, that’s going to help a lot. In a tsunami…

Bob: It’s hard to quantify at that point. We say a lot that if you’re at second base, we can get you to third, maybe even home, but we can’t get you out of the dugout.

Chuck: That’s right.

Bob: And when you’re facing the kind of headwinds we were facing–I’m glad the church showed up. I think the church showed up in record numbers. And I think they even voted the right way. But there were headwinds. It was independents and all of that. But it does create an opportunity right now for the church to be the church.

Rob Sand in particular—we’re very interested in the office of the governorship. Rob Sand campaigned kind of as a quasi-Republican, frankly, very much as an independent. He said he wants this to be about Iowa.

How does the policy team, the Elections and Policy team, navigate a Rob Sand?

Chuck: One of the things I noticed in his campaign, Bob, was that he said we need to protect children from online predators and from this horrible influence that kids get caught up in.

Well, that’s something we’ve been working on for years. It’s difficult because big tech likes hooking kids, right? So there’s a lobby that’s been resisting this.

But I think Republicans and Democrats, the legislature and the governor, can come together and help protect kids.

That’s one that’s just ripe for action.

Bob: And I think it gives Rob Sand an opportunity to show that this wasn’t just campaign rhetoric to get elected governor. He can show that he’s actually going to lead and bring guys like Chuck, or organizations like The Family Leader, to the table to help figure out solutions to issues like online predators targeting our kids.

Some of the big wins last night, you still have a legislature that looks to be pretty solid.

Chuck: Yeah. We have pro-life, pro-family champions still in charge of the leadership and the key committees. I don’t think we’re going to see radical, weird stuff like we see in deep-blue states, like abortion on demand through all nine months of pregnancy. We aren’t going to see that in Iowa.

I will tell you my biggest concern, and this needs our prayers and our vigilance: Rob Sand will be able to appoint hundreds or thousands of people. Right at the top of that list will be judges.

Judges can do a lot of damage in a hurry if they decide that what the legislature has passed in the last 10 years, let’s say, violates the Constitution.

We need to hope and pray that Rob Sand will appoint moderate judges. I don’t think he’ll appoint strict constructionist judges, but let’s hope he doesn’t appoint far-left judges.

That’s a policy matter, because policy gets overturned by courts.

Bob: So we’ll need to be diligent about getting some good judges for him to at least consider.

The numbers: Senate, 31 or 32?

Chuck: 32 Republicans to 18 Democrats.

Bob: And then in the House, 55 or 56?

Chuck: 56. I saw a tweet this morning saying 55, but I think it’s 56 now. There are a couple of races that are super close.

Bob: Yeah.

Chuck: So there may be recounts, but we’re right at 32 and 56.

Bob: Iowa is definitely going to have a balanced government.

Chuck: Yes.

Bob: So praise God for that. Hopefully we get some good things done, and hopefully we stop some really bad things.

When you take a look at the next election, should Christians be discouraged right now?

Chuck: I think Christians should be grieving because Kim Reynolds was just fabulous, and we think Zach Lahn would have been fabulous.

So, yeah, I think it’s legitimate to grieve. Saint Paul said he’s perplexed, but not in despair, right?

Despair is not an option for the believer. Grief is.

Bob: We can have grief, but not like those who don’t have hope.

Chuck: That’s exactly right.

Bob: We still have a lot of hope. You take a look at the elections last night. What’s this do for the 2028 cycle? Because in Iowa—sorry, but in Iowa, you get down in one election and go right into the next.

We just got done with the election last night, and Bob Seger would say, “Turn the page.” We’re going to the Iowa caucuses now.

Because of what happened last night across the country, how do you see that impacting the 2028 caucuses?

Chuck: Do we name names?

Bob: Sure.

Bob: Okay, so Ted Cruz has already been in Iowa. He’s made no bones about it; publicly and privately, he’s interested in being president.

So how does this impact Ted Cruz’s chances? Well, he’s won in Texas, and I think he’s got a shot. He’s very bright. I love watching him on the Judiciary Committee cross-examining woke witnesses. He’s super articulate.

His speech in Iowa a few weeks ago for Ashley Hinson—I told people it was the best speech I’ve ever heard him make. He’s improving in that area.

Bob: Ted’s a friend. Ted and I go way back. We talk and text back and forth. He gives me insights and updates, and I try to give him the best I can when he asks me.

Praise God we’ve got a guy like Ted Cruz who may want to consider this. Who else do you think?

Chuck: Absolutely. Ron DeSantis’s stock went up last night.

Bob: Another friend.

Chuck: I endorsed Ron DeSantis last time because he has done such a good job as Florida governor. He’s an executive’s executive. I think he’d do a great job as president.

Marco Rubio and JD Vance—you know, they’re very close to Donald Trump. I think they lost ground last night, not necessarily through any fault of their own, but just because they’re tied to Trump.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders is a rock-star governor. I like her. She’s a very gifted communicator, so she’s in the hunt.

Bob: She’s like a little sister to me. She would say like a little niece to you, Bob. But anyway.

Chuck: So yeah, there are some people who are interested in being president, are high talent, and happen to believe like we do.

Bob: I would say to a couple of media outlets I just interviewed with that there’s going to be a lot of people running to the starting line now, saying, “I want to take the baton from President Trump and move it forward.”

JD Vance’s path, while it’s not undoable, just got more complicated. Marco Rubio’s path isn’t undoable, but it just got more complicated.

There’s going to be more people in the field now because of the repudiation of the midterms. You’re going to have more candidates.

But it gives us an opportunity. I think it’s a great opportunity for Iowans to really vet candidates.

And remember, to give you some hope, Watergate was not a fun time either. The midterms after Watergate were not a fun time. But remember, Watergate gave rise to a guy by the name of Ronald Reagan.

So all is not lost. And again, our hope is not in a person, but God can raise somebody up as well.

Talking about friends–DeSantis is a friend, Huckabee Sanders, Cruz—you know, we have a lot of friends. A lot of friends until we endorse.

And President Trump is a friend. He and I go way back.

How do you see President Trump leading out his last two years in a very hostile environment, way more hostile than what he’s been accustomed to?

Chuck: Never underestimate Donald Trump. He’s bright and audacious, and he’ll still be a factor. But clearly, he’s behind the eight ball.

He’s the lamest of lame ducks, except for his personality. He’s a force of nature. So don’t be surprised if he does some really amazing things yet.

But he will be harassed for the next two years mercilessly. That’s just how I see it rolling out.

Bob: I had a media reporter ask me today, “Are you surprised? Iowa is a deep-red state.”

I pushed back and said, “I don’t see it as being a deep-red state. I see it as being a purple state, and way more of a Trump state.”

Then I used the basketball analogy: You live by the three, you die by the three. You live by the brand of Trump–Trump did a lot of good for our state, but when they want to make him the boogeyman and make him the focus, you can die by the brand as well.

Will candidates look to seek his endorsement? Will they say, “I want to be Trump’s guy”? Or are they going to try to distance themselves now, moving into 2028?

Chuck: I think they will distance themselves a lot publicly. I think privately, he’s still got all these connections, and there are people with money who will want him to say, “Hey, this is a good guy to get behind.”

Bob: I really believe people are still going to want the Trump endorsement. It’ll be better to have it than not have it.

And two, I think what you’re going to want to do is give him a lot of accolades for all the good things he has done. He’s done a lot of good things for life, for religious liberty, and for families. He’s done a lot of good things.

Champion all the good things he’s done, and then give a vision about what it would be like under your leadership.

Any other wins last night that you can think of, Iowa-specific?

Chuck: Well, one of my best friends for many years has been Matt Reister.

Bob: I love Matt.

Chuck: He was literally called by the then Speaker of the House 16 years ago, or whenever he ran the first time and narrowly lost in another tsunami year, the rock-star candidate.

Matt’s just a great guy—smart and lovable. It’s going to be a joy to have him at the Capitol.

Bob: And has a solid worldview.

Chuck: Oh my goodness–

Bob: In 2012—I remember that election–in 2012, Matt Reister won on election night, and that’s when they counted the absentee ballots afterward. Then I woke up in the morning, and Matt Reister had lost.

Darla and I took Matt and Jen to Colorado to kind of ease our pain a little bit. But I’m just thrilled to see him winning by 10 points last night. He’s going to be in the legislature. That’s a bright spot.

Tell us about Austin Stubbs. You talk about a rock star. Here’s another rock star.

Chuck: Go back and watch All In to Win with Austin Stubbs. What a great young man. Austin’s, I think, 31 or 32, just getting his feet wet. First race for public office. Super smart, coachable, godly. Austin is a super-bright light from last night. So, yeah, I’m going to have fun working with those guys at the Capitol.

And then a former employee here, Josiah Olson’s dad, Matt Olson.

Bob: Oh, yeah.

Chuck: Super-strong Christian, part-time pastor, I think. So Matt will be a bright light.

And then the Senate Majority Leader, Mike Klimesh. Greg Baker and I love that guy. His stock is going up. He held serve in the Senate against a tsunami.

Mike Klimesh is a policy wonk, super smart, and just good to work with. So that’s another bright spot. He’ll still be Majority Leader.

Bob: So probably the hope I want everybody to know is that all is not lost. Not in Iowa, not in this country, not even for a second.

We look higher, right? Our help comes from the Lord. We think with an eternal focus. “Get behind me, Satan,” Jesus says to Peter. We embrace that abundant life and the life that’s promised to us now. So we have a bounce in our step and a smile on our face.

How can Christians stay engaged in the culture around us, especially elections, policy, and partnership, while still keeping their focus where it needs to be?

Chuck: That’s the question of the hour, the question of the day, the question of the month, of our lifetimes. We’re going to have disappointments in family life, church life, and civic life.

I would say the number one way—number one and two ways—is to read the Bible.

Look at Paul. He’s whipped, he’s beaten with rods, he’s shipwrecked, and he’s still saying, “Rejoice in the Lord.”

The joy of the Lord is our strength, it says in Scripture. So we’ve got to have joy in the midst of perplexity or some temporal losses.

I would say read the Bible, and then I would say pray. Pour out your heart.

King David had a lot of disappointments, but look in the Psalms. He poured out his heart to God. And I think all but maybe two of his Psalms end on a hopeful, high note.

That’s where we should be day in and day out: hopeful.

Bob: So let’s end on hope, no matter how dark it gets. I just told our kids last Sunday, we were talking about somebody getting knocked down. Listen, if you haven’t been knocked down yet, you’re going to get knocked down. And it’s not about being knocked down. It’s about how you get back up.

Get back up again. Count it all joy. You get to be used now. What an opportunity for the light to be the light.

And may that be said of you as you go all in to win.

Thank you, Chuck Hurley.

Chuck: You bet.

Bob: Share this interview if you want people to understand what happened last night and get some insight behind the scenes of the election. Share it, leave a five-star review, and we’ll see you next time on All In to Win.

I’m Bob Vander Plaats with Chuck Hurley. See you next time.