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Gen Z Socialism and Holding Congress: Jim Pfaff on The Pulse | Sep 2, 2026

Published: September 2, 2026
Network: Newsmax
Analysis: Conservative Caucus President Jim Pfaff

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On the September 2 edition of The Pulse with David Harris Jr on Newsmax, Conservative Caucus President Jim Pfaff answered a Gen Z problem that Cold War talking points will not solve. Harris opened on Pfaff’s own line: Gen Z socialism cannot be defeated the way voters who remember the Soviet Union were warned. Pfaff’s answer was results and legislation — DOGE continuity, deregulation, the Save America Act, and a midterm map that is historically brutal for the party in power but still winnable if Republicans use the GOP midterm convention, Trump money, and a Senate that stops undercutting Texas.

Topics Covered

• Gen Z, Cold War Warnings, and Results Over Lectures
• Brutal Off-Year Odds and How to Hold Congress
• The DSA Ick Factor and Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed Race
• Key Takeaways

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Gen Z, Cold War Warnings, and Results Over Lectures

Harris put Pfaff’s premise on the table: Gen Z cannot be warned against socialism the way Cold War-era voters were. How do Republicans communicate the danger if those voters get power? Pfaff did not reach for a history seminar. He said Republicans have to produce results in Washington first — and right now they are struggling to decide to do the things that win, coming back to a continuing resolution into December and looking like they want to walk away.

“Gen Z can’t be warned against socialism the way that Cold War-era voters were.”
— Jim Pfaff, President, The Conservative Caucus

Gen Z will think what it will think, he said. What moves them is the same thing that moves anyone else: do what the Trump base said it wanted in 2024, and do it through legislation. That means keeping DOGE in front of the agenda, pushing deregulation, and advancing election-integrity priorities like the Save America Act. Age is not the barrier. Delivery is.

“You are really addressing exactly what the Trump base said they wanted in 2024. You have to do it through legislation.”
— Jim Pfaff, President, The Conservative Caucus

Brutal Off-Year Odds and How to Hold Congress

Harris asked how steep the climb is to hold Congress given brutal historical odds for the party in power. Pfaff called it very doable and pointed to the next week: the Conservative Caucus is doing a sweep with a big presence at the GOP midterm convention, where Donald Trump and a J.D. Vance keynote can set a forward-looking economic agenda rather than a Ukraine-mired one.

“The historical odds in an off-year election are absolutely brutal for the party that’s in power.”
— Jim Pfaff, President, The Conservative Caucus

The numbers, he said, are actually pretty positive for Republicans if they take action, because Democrats are hated more than they have been in the modern polling era. The convention is a start; what follows has to be the legislative follow-through that gives Gen Z and the Trump base something concrete. TCC’s broader map is laid out in the November Senate and House targets.

The DSA Ick Factor and Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed Race

Pfaff said the DSA factor is growing as an “ick factor” among most voters — a contrast advantage if Republicans press it. On Michigan, Harris noted Abdul El-Sayed running as a far-left progressive in a swing state and polling ahead of Mike Rogers with about 62 days out. Pfaff pointed to a strong new Rogers commercial, said Rogers has to work the ground hard, and treated the latest poll as a possible outlier against earlier surveys that had Rogers up in a close race.

“The DSA factor actually is growing as an ick factor amongst most voters.”
— Jim Pfaff, President, The Conservative Caucus

Mid-September is when polls start to really matter, Pfaff said. He would not yet predict Republicans keep the House — the numbers are there that would allow it — but he thinks they can keep the Senate if they do things right. A complicating factor he named directly: John Thune and the NRSC need to stop undercutting Ken Paxton in Texas and decide to win. Donald Trump’s money, he added, will make a huge difference over the next 60-plus days.

“We’re going to get a better sense of where these candidates are by mid-September. That’s when the polls start to really matter.”
— Jim Pfaff, President, The Conservative Caucus

Key Takeaways

1. Gen Z needs results, not Cold War lectures – Pfaff says socialism warnings from a different era will not land; legislation that matches 2024 demands will.
2. DOGE, deregulation, Save America Act – The concrete list he tied to Trump-base delivery and cross-generational response.
3. Off-year odds are brutal and still beatable – Democrat favorables are historic lows; the GOP midterm convention and an economic message are the near-term accelerant.
4. DSA is an ick factor – Use it. Michigan’s El-Sayed/Rogers race is close; mid-September polls matter more than one snapshot.
5. Senate path runs through seriousness – Thune/NRSC need to back winning in Texas; Trump money is a major variable in the final 60 days.

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About The Conservative Caucus:
The Conservative Caucus is a grassroots public policy action organization, formed in 1974. Headed by President Jim Pfaff, the Caucus is committed to advancing free enterprise, limited government, and traditional values.

Originally broadcast Sep 2, 2026 on The Pulse with David Harris Jr.