More than six weeks after President-elect Donald Trump’s victory on Election Day, political pundits are still piling dirt on the Democratic coffin, to the delight of my fellow Republicans.

Americans are being told that, after a crushing Electoral College loss for Vice President Kamala Harris and perhaps the greatest political comeback in U.S. history for Trump, the Democratic Party has lost its way. Not only is “Resistance 2.0” quieter this time around, but Democrats seem despondent about their chances in the 2026 midterms and their lack of an heir apparent to lead them to victory in the 2028 presidential race. A recent Pew Research Center survey found that Democrats are more pessimistic about their party’s future than at any time since 2016. In contrast, Republicans are even more bullish than eight years ago.

There are eternal optimists in liberal circles, but the glee is palpable among Trump supporters. Republicans are already being described as favorites in the 2026 midterms, with a deep bench emerging for 2028, too. We are going into a Trump presidency with the strongest possible mandate. I personally look forward to Republicans and former Democrats like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard working together to make America greater than ever before.

But amidst the excitement, 2024 brings warning signs for Republicans. Gleeful as we may be, victory is never guaranteed. Resting on our laurels may cost us. With the 2026 midterms in mind, there are two main areas of concern for Republicans.

First and foremost, the mainstream media – the MSNBC, CNN and New York Times establishment – won’t let up on anti-Trumpism, and anti-Republican bias will endure after Trump leaves office. Media bias predated Trump (see Mitt Romney’s 2012 White House campaign), and it risks hampering Republicans in the years ahead.

Republicans were right this election cycle to back away from legacy news outlets and to embrace independent and conservative-friendly media as power players in today’s political landscape. The 10-minute cable news clip is losing its influence against the three-hour, unfiltered podcast interview, and that is a win for authenticity and talking directly to voters.

But traditional media sources are still powerful entities that can sway millions of votes. So Republicans should keep preparing to answer difficult questions and lean into independent media alternatives on Spotify, YouTube and other platforms. We must look into ways to expand the independent media network to bypass traditional sources. We need more media alternatives, not fewer.

The second concern is money. Democratic campaigns and outside groups affiliated with them outraised and outspent Republicans and affiliated groups by $1 billion nationwide. The fact that Harris massively outspent Trump and still lost is comic relief for Republicans now, but those fundamentals could propel a stronger Democratic candidate to victory in 2028.

Low-dollar fundraising, where Democrats continue to beat Republicans, is a particular sore spot. In far too many Senate and House races, Republicans are struggling to engage with everyday Americans who could make $10 donations – and that lack of engagement could come back to bite campaigns in future election cycles. Supporters are with us on the issues and we need to give them reasons to donate, not just scare tactics. Republicans also can’t take existing donors for granted and treat them like ATMs.

We relied far too heavily on individual megadonors and entities like the Senate Leadership Fund for spending on advertising and getting people out to vote. If Elon Musk, who spent more than a quarter of a billion dollars to help elect Trump, and other billionaire donors had not flooded the zone with targeted spending to get out the vote in Pennsylvania and other battleground states, the election outcome could have looked very, very different.

Because of the fundraising discrepancy, Trump and other Republican candidates had to be extremely targeted in campaign ad spending. Trailing Democrats by wide margins in positive press coverage, fundraising, advertising or in any metric is not sustainable. We must engage and expand networks for candidates. The national and state party infrastructure must be focused on it.

I urge Republicans to enjoy celebrating for a bit, but then to quickly turn our attention to problem-solving. Otherwise we won’t be cheering again in two years.

Read the article in U.S. News & World Report.

Wesley Donehue serves as Founder and CEO of Push Digital Group.