President Donald Trump made and kept promises during his tenure in the Oval Office, but as Americans turn to the 2024 election, voters should look past Trump and seek a brighter and better future for Republicans.
The former president announced a third presidential run on Tuesday night, just a week after a red trickle, rather than a red wave, destroyed the hopes for a then optimistic GOP.
With a lackluster performance last week of Trump-endorsed candidates in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, it is time to move on and move forward.
Three major gubernatorial candidates who lost in the midterm election all had one thing in common: they denied the 2020 election results and were from swing states. In Arizona, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, Kari Lake, Tudor Dixon, and Doug Mastriano claimed that the election was stolen. Michigan’s Republican candidate, Dixon, did appear to be quiet on the issue later in the primaries as the field narrowed; however, she still expressed it previously at an earlier debate. In swing states like these three, comments about the 2020 election should not be made. Election denying played into the 2022 elections. According to a recent Washington Post article, out of the 46 races considered competitive that had candidates who denied the 2020 election results, 31 out of the 38 called have lost.
Quality of a candidate matters. While John Fetterman somehow won in Pennsylvania, it is because Mehmet Oz was not a convincing and sensible candidate. People care about who is being nominated, and Trump ties don’t seem to be adding to Republican victories in key battleground states.
With a heated Georgia Senate runoff slated for Dec. 6, Trump’s announcement could hurt Republican candidate Herschel Walker. Incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp won re-election with 53.4% of the vote. Kemp formerly refused to overturn the results in Georgia in the 2020 presidential election. Walker struggled and could not get over the 50% threshold.
It is time for the GOP to embrace the Chris Sununu-type Republicans in liberal New England. Sununu, a Republican who trusts the results of the 2020 election, won a second term as New Hampshire’s governor with 57.1% of the vote, compared to New Hampshire Senate candidate Donald Bolduc, who scored only 44.4%of the vote against incumbent Democrat Maggie Hassan. Bolduc signed a letter saying the 2020 election was stolen. After winning the primary, the Republican nominee attempted to reverse his path. This clearly didn’t work and what was supposed to be a big upset turned into a big failure. While Sununu and I would not agree on several issues, he can win in places like New England, where the GOP could have made significant strides this past election cycle. Candidates need to reflect the people they represent. Rather than call these people “Republicans in name only” (RINOS), get to know why their policies may not align with the MAGA wing.
Whatever the case may be, Republicans don’t need to nominate a Sununu type for president (these types are good for senate seats and house races), but they also don’t need to nominate another Donald Trump. Donald Trump’s policies were strong, but his rhetoric and relentless attacks on people on both sides of the aisle was, and is, abhorrent. Some attacks need to be made, but when the former president pokes fun at Glenn Youngkin on Truth Social, Trump’s social media platform, by making fun of his name and calling him“Young Kin (now that’s an interesting take. Sounds Chinese, doesn’t it),”, it is not OK. This is not what a president, or even a former president (or any person for that matter) should say. These attacks are childish and do nothing but make the party look bad. Trump’s rhetoric has always been fiery, but the American people should not have to deal with another four years of it.
Trump’s reaction to the 2020 election also was unbecoming. Time after time, the president denied the results, even after lawsuits were struck down. He abandoned his vice president and put members of Congress in a dangerous situation.
Should Trump become the nominee, Republicans need to unite behind him to prevent another four years of record high inflation, a border crisis, and failed leadership. Yet, making America great again isn’t about one person. It’s about “we the people.” Let’s continue to make America great by moving forward with a new Republican leader who can achieve Trump’s goals but also stands a chance of actually winning in 2024.
