The Latest

(Originally published in The Hill ) By Emily Brooks For the Republican officials and operatives who have been turned into outcasts as they balk at  President Trump  and his MAGA takeover of the party, there’s a question about what to do next: Join the Democrats? Try to influence specific issues? Or try to retake control of the Republican Party? Those in  Our Republican Legacy (ORL)  are attempting the latter path, forming a “shadow RNC” with the goal of working to regain cont

In an era when partisan loyalty often trumps individual conviction, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky stand out as lawmakers willing to break with their party when principle demands it.

Watch a full recording of the Winter National Committee Meeting of Our Republican Legacy (ORL) held on February 20, 2026, in National Harbor, MD.

While moderate Republicans are typically branded as Republicans in Name Only (RINOs) for failing to enthusiastically embrace every element of President Trump’s shifting agenda, they are right on almost every issue and the MAGA Republicans are wrong. Properly understood, moderate Republicans are the true Republicans, and we need more of them—not fewer.

Our Republican Legacy’s foundational principle is respect for the Constitution, the Rule of Law, and all the guardrails that exist in law to protect our rights and freedoms. This means we support state primacy in our elections, subject to Congressional intervention only when absolutely necessary and justified as was the case with civil rights and nondiscrimination in voting in the 1950s and 1960s.

On February 2, 2026, President Donald Trump advocated that elected Republicans should “nationalize” the 2026 elections, which explicitly violates the Constitution and abandons the core Republican principle of federalism. ORL emphatically opposes this suggestion.

When government abuses its power, the American people must be heard. This was the lesson of the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s: Bull Connor’s dogs in Birmingham and the brutality of state troopers in Selma awakened the conscience of average Americans, prompting Congress to act.

Putin and Trump have been trying to channel some of Russia’s frozen assets back to Moscow or into the US president’s Board of Peace scheme. This must not be allowed.

In his addled and bellicose Davos World Economic Forum speech, President Trump threatened U.S. takeover of Greenland to satisfy his self-admitted psychological “need” to own and control the North Atlantic island, which comprises 97 percent of the territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. Predictably, his cascading threats blindsided our NATO allies, further undermining their trust in the United States.

But, it is elemental that it is the American people, the ultimate sovereign, who own the government of the United States of America. And, contrary to the disingenuous exclamations of two Congressional Committee chairs, they most assuredly can handle the truth, even if Congress can’t.

Our Republican Legacy (ORL) Texas State Chairman, Dr. Merill Matthews, appeared on 570 KLIF's "The Clayton Neville Show" to talk about ORL's guiding principles and current events.

There are moments in a nation’s life when words matter more than usual. When any president suggests, as President Trump did last week, that the only limit on his power is his own morality and his own mind, Americans should listen carefully. But for conservatives — those who claim allegiance to the tradition of Edmund Burke and the constitutional wisdom of the Founders — such words should trigger serious concern.

The Founders of our Republic united around the rule of law. According to John Adams: “the very definition of a Republic is an Empire of laws and not of men.”  In response to an inquiry about whether the new government would be a republic or a monarchy, Ben Franklin said “A Republic if you can keep it.”  He was concerned that over time the Republic would give way to corruption and ultimately despotism.

We strongly oppose President Trump’s public threats and unnecessary acts of aggression against other sovereign nations, including our neighbors in this hemisphere with whom we have had long-standing engagement over time through trade, investment, commerce, and other bilateral and multilateral agreements.

Former Montana Governor and Our Republican Legacy Chair Marc Racicot joined Brittany Lewis on "Forbes Newsroom" to discuss the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces, and the subsequent aftermath of the operation.

Based on ORL’s principle on the Constitution and the Rule of Law, Our Republican Legacy opposes the unilateral actions taken by President Trump and his administration, which exceed the scope of his authority under the Constitution against civilians on the open seas without any public proof or legal evidence that these individuals were “enemy combatants” of another state or nation who “resorted to armed force” and were engaged in “hostilities” against the United States.

Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro was an illegitimate authoritarian dictator who suppressed freedom and human rights. His removal gives the people of Venezuela a new opportunity to rebuild their democracy. Unfortunately, how President Trump achieved this result creates new anxiety about the state of our democracy.

The concerns of many Americans about their economic well-being may be at the highest level since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Politico recently reported that 46% of Americans say their cost of living is the worst that they can remember, including over one-third of Trump voters. Nothing better exemplifies this than the many “30-somethings” who are unable to purchase a home.

Our Republican Legacy (ORL) is proud to announce that Dr. Merrill Matthews has been appointed Texas State Chair for the organization, bringing decades of national policy leadership and Texas-based public-service experience to the growing movement.

Our Republican Legacy (ORL) Senior Advisor and former Washington State Republican Party Chairman, Chris Vance, appeared on Main Street Radio on Sirius XM to talk about ORL's efforts to mobilize Republicans to return the party to its core principles.