The Truth with Lisa Boothe: Chris Wilson: Republicans Have a Turnout Problem — Here’s How They Can Fix It

Political strategist and pollster Chris Wilson joins Lisa Boothe to break down the state of the 2026 midterm elections, the Republican Party's turnout problem, the Democratic Party's move to the left and why traditional political polling is becoming increasingly difficult to trust.

Wilson, CEO of Eyes Over Technologies, explains why Republicans are facing a challenging but highly competitive midterm environment. While history favors Democrats and Republican voter intensity remains a concern, the GOP could benefit from the Senate map, redistricting and Democratic candidates who may be too far left for their states.

So what should Republicans actually campaign on? Wilson argues that the winning message comes down to four words: affordability, security, trust and confidence. He explains why candidates should focus on the cost of groceries and everyday life, public safety, competent government and delivering tangible results for voters rather than relying on generic attacks about socialism.

Lisa and Chris also examine critical Senate races in Michigan, Alaska, North Carolina, Ohio and elsewhere, along with the challenge of getting lower-propensity Trump voters back to the polls when Donald Trump himself isn't on the ballot.

Then they tackle one of the biggest questions in modern politics: Can we still trust the polls? Wilson explains how declining response rates, inaccurate turnout models, early voting and rapidly changing public opinion are making traditional polling increasingly complicated.

Finally, Wilson explains how artificial intelligence, online conversation analysis and real-time narrative tracking could transform political campaigns by showing not just where voters stand today, but where public opinion is moving heading into Election Day.

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