Sen. Mike Lee of Utah is a fervent defender of America’s founding principles, the rule of law, and the endurance of America as a free republic. Lee became one of the first successful tea party candidates when he ousted seasoned Senator Bob Bennett from office in 2010, and was recently appointed chairman of the prestigious Senate Steering Committee. He spoke at Hillsdale Tuesday.
You’ve spoken at the Kirby Center several times, but you’ve never made it out to Hillsdale’s campus. What made you want to come here?
This is a Mecca for conservatives. This is the kind of place that every conservative needs to visit from time to time. It’s been something I’ve dreamed of doing for many years.
I’ve heard that you have taken the Constitution 101 course. Is that true?
I’ve had a number of my staff members do that, and I have attended a number of the seminars over at Hillsdale’s Kirby Center. A lot of my staff members have taken that. It’s not optional.
There seems to be a split in the Republican Party: there are establishment-leaning Republicans, and there are tea party-leaning Republicans. What could a candidate do to overcome those boundaries? Is it necessary to overcome the split mentality of the party to be a strong candidate in 2016?
I think it’s always important for any candidate to be able to explain what it is that he or she stands for. Part of that entails explaining not only what the candidate is against, but also what the candidate is for. I think a good Republican candidate is a conservative candidate. And a true conservative candidate will explain not only what the candidate is for but also what the candidate is against. They’ll explain that the message of conservatism is not “you’re all on your own,” but it’s, “we’re all in this together,” in the sense that the reason we are conservative is because we believe in the things that free individuals can do when they’re allowed to be free: the voluntary associations that they form when government doesn’t interfere with their ability to do so. That we are conservative first and foremost because we believe that limited government provides us with the best possible set of circumstances in which upward economic mobility is not only a possibility but a reality. I think that’s the kind of message that can help unite the party.
Who would you like to vote for in 2016?
That is a great question, and I’m not going to answer it. Three of my closest allies in the Senate are contemplating a possible run for the presidency, and some of my favorite governors and ex-governors are also contemplating a bid for the White House. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I wish them all well, and I hope that we can unite behind a candidate that can push forward a conservative agenda and win.
