5/20/26 - Welcome to the New Republican Party

Today’s episode of The Rob Kendall Show focuses heavily on the Republican Party’s reaction to Congressman Thomas Massie losing his primary after being targeted by President Trump. Kendall argues Massie’s record lined up with many things Republicans claim to support, including lower spending, less debt, transparency, and accountability on the Epstein files. He questions why Massie became a top enemy of the party while figures like Lindsey Graham are treated as allies, saying the message now seems to be loyalty to Trump matters more than conservative principles. Kendall expands that into a broader warning about where the Republican Party is headed. He argues the party is increasingly demanding total obedience to Trump, even from lawmakers like Lauren Boebert who have been loyal but still supported Massie. Kendall says the real test will come in November, when Trump-backed primary winners have to face the larger general electorate, which polling shows is far less enthusiastic about Trump’s policies than Republican primary voters are. The show also revisits new reporting from Indy Politics about Secretary of State Diego Morales and a former high-ranking employee in his office. Kendall highlights questions about whether Elena Copsey, who reportedly served as deputy chief of staff, was a noncitizen and how someone with limited government experience rose to such a senior role. He argues Morales needs to answer basic questions about her status, what she did in the office, why she left, and whether she had access to sensitive information tied to elections and Indiana businesses. Another major topic is the sudden entrance of Max Engling into the Republican Secretary of State race. Kendall explains how the state convention process works and says Engling’s candidacy likely reflects growing concern among delegates that Diego Morales could be a disaster in the general election. While Kendall says David Shelton remains the most qualified candidate, he argues both Shelton and Engling need to directly confront Morales’ record if they want to beat him at convention. The episode closes with a broader look at Republican primary voters versus the general electorate. Kendall argues that while Trump endorsements remain powerful inside GOP primaries, national polling suggests the wider public is increasingly unhappy with inflation, gas prices, spending, and the direction of the country. His warning is that Republicans may keep winning internal party fights while setting themselves up for major losses in the fall if they ignore what voters outside the Trump base are saying. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices