Rep. Brandon Gill’s Midterm Defiance: Calls Out ‘Woke Insanity’ — Democrats Challenged

DALLAS — Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) kicked off the Republican National Committee's first-ever midterm convention on Wednesday with a speech that drew some of the loudest applause of the evening . He framed the November elections as a decisive choice between "common sense" and the radical agenda he says Democrats would impose if given another chance .

Gill, a freshman congressman who has gained a reputation for his direct questioning of administration officials, focused his address on cultural issues, immigration, and the economy . He argued that the election is "the mainstream versus the extreme" and spent several minutes targeting Democrats' comments about the American flag, capitalism, gender, and religion .

A Warning: 'Woke Isn't Dead'

The core of Gill's message was a warning that the cultural left has not been defeated, merely silenced. He pointed to comments from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who recently stated that "Woke 1 was crazy," as evidence that the progressive movement was regrouping. Gill seized on her words, retorting: "AOC, you were finally right about one thing: Woke One was crazy, and we're not going to let you get your hands on Woke Two" .

"He who controls the past controls the future," Gill said to the RNC audience, previewing his remarks on X the night before . He warned that wokeness is a "core part of the left-wing ideology" that was "ascendant" under Biden and would return if Republicans fail to hold the House .

The Broader Battle

Gill’s speech highlighted a broader Republican strategy of using cultural issues to mobilize the base and challenge Democratic candidates. The convention comes as the GOP is defending razor-thin majorities in both chambers of Congress . Gill, who represents a district in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, has become a leading voice in this push, specifically targeting progressive candidates like James Talarico, AOC, and Abdul El-Sayed .

The congressman has previously gained national attention for grilling NPR CEO Katherine Maher and the director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History over what he called "woke stewardship" . He has consistently argued that "normal people" are tired of divisive racial politics and an "increasingly unaffordable country" caused by Democratic policies .