GOP lawmakers celebrate right-wing candidate’s win in Italian elections

Conservative lawmakers are voicing support for Giorgia Meloni, the leader of a right-wing alliance that came out victorious in Italy’s elections on Sunday.

The new government is expected to maintain Italy’s support for Ukraine and NATO, but Meloni has taken a harder stance on issues like immigration, calling for a naval blockade to prevent migrant boats from coming to Europe from North Africa.

“Congratulations to Giorgia Meloni and the winners of the Italian elections,” wrote Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.). “We look forward to working with her and other Italian leaders to advance our shared interests. America is stronger when Italy is strong, sovereign, prosperous, and free.”

Meloni’s coalition marks a major rightward shift for the country, the continent’s fourth-largest economy. She leads the hard-right Brothers of Italy party. Partners in her coalition include former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who leads the Forza Italia party, and Matteo Salvini of the League party.

Mike Pompeo, the former secretary of State and Republican representative from Kansas, also congratulated Meloni.

“Italy deserves and needs strong conservative leadership,” he said. “Buona Fortuna!”

Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party won 26 percent of the vote, with other center-right coalition partners bringing the alliance’s total to 44 percent support, although the official formation of a government is still to come.

Many Republicans reposted a video of Meloni shared by Greg Price, a strategist at a conservative political consulting firm, in which she says many are attacking religious and gender identities, turning the public into “consumer slaves.” 

“Spectacular,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) responded to the video.

“God Speed to Italy’s incredible Prime Minister-elect @GiorgiaMeloni!” Arizona Republican gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake similarly wrote.

The video also garnered positive responses from lawmakers like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who described Meloni’s speech as “beautifully said.”

Some Democrats, however, took the opposite view.

“Watch this. It’s full of made up straw men (like the idea that the left is attacking family identity) and fake populism (the right isn’t actually interested in fighting consumerism), but it’s good encapsulation of the international new right,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) tweeted about the video.

Meloni’s alliance’s rise in Italy comes amid a wave of success for right-wing political movements across Europe. Right-wing parties in Sweden narrowly came to power earlier this month, and similarly aligned groups in France and Spain have also made gains.

“This month, Sweden voted for a right-wing government,” wrote Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.). 

“Now, Italy voted for a strong right-wing government,” she continued. “The entire world is beginning to understand that the Woke Left does nothing but destroy. Nov 8 is coming soon & the USA will fix our House and Senate! Let freedom reign!”