Employers can’t find workers. Illegal aliens are rushing over the southern border. There’s an epidemic of serious crime in our cities. Inflation is soaring. Americans are weary over Critical Race Theory in our schools.

With all this bad news, you’d think Republicans are primed for a major sweep of the 2022 midterm congressional elections.

Think again.

Despite many factors in the party’s favor, the GOP doesn’t have this one in the bag. And Republicans better get to work soon. November 2022 is right around the corner.

At this point, we have to take polling results with a grain of salt, though they’re worth taking the “temperature in the room.” One poll suggests that Republicans are in a good position to regain power on Capitol Hill. But a Morning Consult poll revealed that nearly a third of Trump voters aren’t enthusiastic about voting next year. If the results of this poll are accurate, we’re in serious trouble.

To their credit, Democrats aren’t giving up. In fact, they’re not taking anything for granted. For example, party leaders in Texas are pushing toward a goal of registering two million Democrats in time for the midterms.

Republicans should be just as aggressive in laying the foundation to regain the majority.

Michael Walsh highlights several steps for Republicans to take back the country, including expelling Never-Trumpers from party leadership, ensuring election integrity, and choosing the right candidates.

Republican leadership in the House did manage to oust Liz Cheney from her post as conference chair, and there was unity in fighting to keep the filibuster in the Senate.

Unfortunately, Republicans in DC seem to be caught up in the political issues of the day instead of fighting to win in the long term. The Cheney saga and the fight to preserve the filibuster are both important, but GOP leaders have to see the forest, not just the trees. Should Republicans fail to take back the House and hold the Senate next year, losing the filibuster will be the least of their worries.

What’s more important is dealing with the issue of election integrity and making sure only registered voters can bubble-in their choices at the ballot box. And the GOP should fight for even more. “The only principles conservatives should accept are one man, one vote, in person, on Election Day, in public, with ironclad voter identification,” argues Walsh. “Absentee ballots should be limited to overseas military personnel only — if you’re out of town or even the country, that’s your choice.”

While Republicans at the national level may not be moving fast enough, legislatures and governors in some states have made inroads to ensure the integrity of the system and avoid a repeat of the 2020 debacle. These measures include restricting ballot harvesting, keeping voter lists current, prohibiting election officials from receiving private donations or funding, and passing voter ID requirements.

These steps are critical because Republicans are less likely to win elections if those elections are a fraud-for-all run by Democrat officials according to Democrat rules.

Yet even if the loopholes of state election systems are closed by next fall, Republicans not only have to worry about campaigning against Democrats desperate to hold onto power but they’ll also have to face a bitter fight within the GOP. Some moderate Republicans are planning to battle Trump-approved candidates for the House and Senate.

But there’s some good news: The party out of power historically picks up seats when the opposition party holds the White House, and Republicans are currently redrawing congressional districts to their advantage.

It’ll be interesting to see how this all plays out between now and next summer, but Republican leaders at all levels need to start unifying and working toward victory next November.

We know Democrats will fight to win, and Republicans need to do the same.