By OBBM Network Editorial Staff

Dan Schultz

Half of the Republican Party’s grassroots engine is missing, and Dan Schultz says that vacuum is the single biggest reason the GOP fell short of its own expectations in the 2026 midterms.

The Precinct Committeeman Gap

Schultz opened his Election Day broadcast by noting there are 400,000 precinct committee slots nationwide, yet a substantial portion sit vacant. He described a full slate of precinct committeemen as a “bellwether” and a “gauge” for the party’s ability to mobilize voters and challenge entrenched incumbents—whom he labels “rhinos.” Without those volunteers, he argues, the party lacks the political clout to push state legislatures to abandon the “machine” voting systems that dominate many Republican‑controlled states.

He cited his own data‑partner, a tool he calls “Grok,” which correctly predicted that historically 90‑95% of Republican state legislators would win their primaries. This cycle, the figure rose to 95.4%, confirming his warning that the lack of precinct organization does not change the status quo.

Midterm Results: Money vs. Personal Contact

Schultz highlighted a handful of high‑profile losses to illustrate the limits of big‑money campaigns. In Texas, incumbent Senator John Cornyn lost despite the most expensive Republican primary in history, with Republican turnout estimated at just 32.9%—far below the 37.5% of registered Republicans in the state. Four House members—Dan Crenshaw (TX), Andy Ogles (TN), Corey Mills (FL), and Thomas Massey (FL)—also fell, each in races that saw record spending.

“What works is person‑to‑person stuff,” Schultz asserted, pointing to his own door‑to‑door flyer campaign in Elma, Wisconsin. He printed a double‑sided flyer urging voters to support a straight Republican ticket and three statewide referendums, then personally delivered or taped them to windshields in low‑information precincts. He claimed that wherever the flyers were placed, they were quickly taken down, suggesting they reached voters who might otherwise have stayed home.

Grassroots Tactics in Action

Beyond flyers, Schultz described his role as an election observer in multiple states, noting that anyone can serve as a poll watcher without extensive training—though he has completed the required courses himself. He recounted past experiences in Arizona’s remote precincts in 2016 and repeated observations in Wisconsin, emphasizing the importance of on‑the‑ground presence to ensure election integrity.

He also referenced a “Precinct Education Program Handbook” produced jointly by the RNC, NRCC, NRSC, and NRCC, describing it as a 120‑page guide that ultimately offers only four pages of actionable content. Schultz’s criticism is clear: the party’s top‑down efforts have failed to inspire volunteers to fill the vacant slots, leaving the “machines” unchecked.

Trump’s Endorsement and the Call to Action

Schultz reminded listeners that former President Donald Trump endorsed the precinct‑committeeman strategy on February 27, 2022. He claims to have delivered that endorsement to Trump through intermediaries and even sent copies of his own handbook to the former president and Melania Trump in 2018, receiving a thank‑you note in return.

Despite that high‑profile backing, Schultz argues the movement has stalled. He challenges conservatives to recruit just 0.3% of the 77 million voters who supported Trump in 2024. Achieving that would, in his view, transform the GOP into a “75% majority, get‑out‑the‑vote powerhouse.” He urges listeners to visit his website, precinctstrategy.com, to access free resources and join the effort.

Why the Vacancies Matter

The core of Schultz’s argument is that without a robust network of precinct committeemen, Republican majorities in state legislatures—22 states with a “trifecta” since 2020—cannot effectively challenge the ballot‑counting machines that, in his view, obscure true voter intent. He points out that no state with a Republican trifecta has succeeded in eliminating those machines, attributing the failure to the lack of organized grassroots pressure.

He concludes that the party’s future hinges on filling those vacant slots, stating, “If you can’t even fill up all the vacant precinct committeeman slots across the country, you’re never going to remove the rhinos.” The message is both a critique of current party organization and a rallying cry for volunteers to step up before the next election cycle.

Schultz’s broadcast underscores a broader tension within the GOP: the clash between high‑budget primary battles and low‑budget, high‑impact grassroots outreach. Whether his call to action will translate into a measurable increase in precinct participation remains to be seen, but his emphasis on personal contact offers a clear roadmap for conservatives seeking to influence the party’s direction from the ground up.

The full episode of Precinct Strategy with Dan Schultz is available on OBBM Network TV.