Horowitz: Republicans hold a ton of power in the states. What will they do with it?

Regardless of the ultimate result of the presidential election, Republicans maintain a strong hold on control of state governments in many key parts of the country. Patriots looking to live safely and freely should have many options to choose from even under a potential Democrat presidency, yet there is no state where Republicans actually use their power for conservative governance as Democrats use theirs for socialism and anarchy.

Democrats came into this election cycle expecting to win control over some state legislative chambers, but in fact, Republicans picked up control of the legislatures in Alaska and New Hampshire. At the same time, they didn't lose a single chamber and added many seats to existing majorities in most states. Pending the likely outcome of several races still being counted in Arizona and Alaska, Republicans will likely control both chambers in 31 states, while Democrats will control both chambers in just 18 states. Furthermore, Republicans hold the governorships in 24 of those states, meaning they have the full trifecta of power in nearly half the country. Democrats enjoy trifecta control in just 15 states. The rest have divided governments.

Ask yourself this question: Why is there no state where you can enjoy freedom, prosperity, safety, and conservative values nearly as much as liberals can enjoy their dystopian views in a state like California? Did liberals really suffer from Trump in New York and California? If anything, the states got even more liberal during Trump's tenure and more aggressive in pushing back against federal policies they disagreed with, including legitimate federal laws, such as immigration enforcement. Where is our California?

In fact, there are some states that have even stronger majorities for Republicans than what Democrats hold in California. In Wyoming, for example, Republicans will hold a 28-2 majority in the Senate and a 51-7 majority in the House over Democrats. Yet even in that state, there will be a mask mandate in many places. A listener of my podcast lost his job in Wyoming for not agreeing to cover his lungs all day.

While Joe Biden, if certified as the winner, plans to institute a national mask mandate, why can't we have at least 24 states where there is an American sanctuary for basic civil rights of Americans? If California was able to be a sanctuary for invaders under Trump, why can't states with strong Republican control be sanctuaries for us and our values under a Democrat?

In South Dakota, Republicans essentially wiped the Democrats off the map. Yet we can't even get a bill passed in that state barring castration operations from being performed on children. And as strong as Governor Kristi Noem has been in opposing heavy-handed restrictions on civil liberties, a man was handcuffed and arrested last month for not wearing a mask at a school board meeting in Mitchell, South Dakota. Trump might have won that county by a 35-point margin, but it as may as well be Portland, Oregon … or perhaps North Korea.

Take a look at Utah, where Republicans control the trifecta of government with close to 4-1 majorities in both houses of the legislature. The state is imposing restrictions on civil liberties that are indistinguishable from what Andrew Cuomo is doing in New York:

The reason our Founders created a federalist system is because they understood that there will be differences of opinion and that one way to sort them out is by moving to a place with values that better suit each individual's lifestyle. But as a Maryland resident, I have nowhere to move where there is no coronavirus fascism. West Virginia is close by, but it has the same virus agenda and mask mandates as Joe Biden. Last week, West Virginia Republicans picked up 18 seats in the House and 3 in the Senate, thanks to the popularity of Trump on the ballot. They now control the Senate 23-11 and the House of delegates 76-24. Why is there no difference between their policies and those of blue states on the quintessential issue of our time?

Even in larger states, Republicans enjoy very strong majorities. They will head into the 2021 legislative session in Florida with a 78-42 advantage in the House and a 24-16 majority in the Senate. They appear to be close to achieving supermajorities in the Wisconsin legislature too and have already expanded their supermajorities in Ohio.

Imagine Republicans one year winning 65%-75% majorities in Washington, D.C.? Well, Republicans have majorities that large or larger in a number of states. Why are so many of those states just as liberal on the key policy issues as the Democrat states? Why can't West Virginia be a refuge for people like me and my family?

The job for conservatives over the next few years will be to make red states and their legislative bodies great again. It's time for a grassroots movement to create a declaration of principles and rights in these states that addresses the following issues:

• Coronavirus must not be used as a pretext to limit civil and religious liberties;
• Zero tolerance for violent crime;
• Self-defense and the Second Amendment will be defended at all costs;
• A low tax and regulation climate except for big tech companies that engage in censorship;
• Absolutely no tolerance for voter fraud, which includes ballot harvesting, voting without identification, or non-citizens voting.

No matter who ultimately sits in the Oval Office on January 20, it's long past time for conservatives to use and work in the states where they already enjoy clear majorities. It's time for us to have our California – where we can live in accordance with our founding values without being harassed by any level of government. It's time for freedom. It's time for a new Tea Party movement.