Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin recently explored options she feels are available to conservatives critical of Donald Trump’s influence over the Republican Party, including electoral fusionism and the feasibility of organizing a new party.
In her opinion piece, Rubin, a former conservative commentator who later became a critic of the former president, outlines several paths for Trump-critical conservatives beyond remaining in the Republican Party. Rubin first suggests that disaffected conservatives could align themselves with the right flank of the Democratic Party, comparing it to what the Democratic Leadership Council did in the 1980s and 1990s. However, she points out that this approach would likely lead to ideological clashes and minimal success in primary races outside reliably Republican districts.
Rubin’s second and third points, however, explore the viability of establishing a new political party entirely. On one hand, she considers the creation of a new party, which she suggests could be called the “Rule of Law Party” or the “Lincoln Party.” Alternatively, Rubin considers the practicality of creating a fusion-focused organization that would support candidates across party lines.
Notably, former Congresswoman Liz Cheney, a central figure in the Trump-critical wing of the Republican Party, also recently mentioned the possibility of organizing a new conservative party in response to Trump’s dominance over the GOP during a recent interview at the Cap Times Ideas Fest. However, Cheney referred to the concept only vaguely, saying there needs to exist “some entity” and did not explore the idea in as much detail as Rubin.
Although Rubin acknowledges the common challenges faced by third parties and independent candidates—such as ballot access and voter reluctance—she suggests opportunities may exist in districts where Democrats are less established and non-competitive. More specifically, Rubin references the independent Senate campaign of Dan Osborn in Nebraska, suggesting that his potential success in a reliably Republican state could offer a roadmap for Trump-critical conservatives to emulate.
Rubin’s second point is something that has been attempted by established third parties in the past, albeit with limited success. In 2020, the Libertarian Party successfully elected Marshall Burt to the Wyoming state legislature as part of the Frontier Project, an initiative that later partnered with the Libertarian National Committee to pool resources in districts where no other candidates had filed beyond the incumbent. While active, the Frontier Project specifically focused on vulnerable districts in Wyoming, Montana, Utah, Wisconsin, and the Dakotas.
In addition to Burt, the Frontier Project also nearly elected Bethany Baldes that same year in another Wyoming legislative district, where Baldes received 49.4% of the vote. In both instances, only two candidates appeared on the ballot, with Burt facing a Democratic incumbent and Baldes facing a Republican candidate for an open seat.
Rubin also explores fusion voting and the possibility of establishing a party that endorses candidates from other organizations. She references New York’s Working Families and Conservative Parties, which both frequently support candidates outside their own party lines due to New York’s unique laws surrounding electoral fusionism. Rubin suggests that a center-right fusion party could function similarly by backing Democratic and Republican candidates who align with conservative values. However, she notes that fusion parties may not fully satisfy individuals like Cheney, who she suggests might be more interested in winning and governing directly rather than just influencing elections.
Rubin’s third point also happens to reflect the current strategy of the Forward Party, which announced this week that it is endorsing over 100 candidates for next month’s elections. While the party is running a limited number of candidates under the Forward ballot line in select states, it is primarily backing a coalition of Democrats, Republicans, and independents, alongside a handful of candidates affiliated with the Libertarian, Alliance, and United Utah parties.
There’s tons of evidence that the era of parties is over. Most people identify as independent now and the percentage keeps growing . All parties, major and minor , have an increasingly bad reputation. Fewer and fewer states have straight ticket voting and more and more people split tickets.
Campaign finance limits , report requirements, bcra and many other legal changes in recent decades make political parties less and less advantageous versus other legal formats for handling various specific tasks the parties used to, while changes in communication technology make it a lot easier to do others outside of party formats. Government as a whole has expanded over the decades to fill many functions that parties used to eg Tamany Hall, chicago ward bosses, Daley’s , nancy pelosis dad, and parties of that general long term era.
While still few in number, top X primary states and pushes for them are slowly growing. As are states which take control of party label use on ballot from party organizers, rendering the labels as meaningless as corporate logos would be if there were no trademark protections.
The supreme Court has not taken an appeal by a minor party in over 30 years and trends in ballot access barriers have turned against minor parties in recent years as well.
Post Nader 2000 anti “spoiler” sentiment has risen while motor voter insures more and more people register independent. Not only that, but parties in multiple states that have nothing else in common except independent or independence as all or part of their names do much better in percentage of registering voters as any other minor parties. As do candidates with an “independent” ballot label (not no label) other things being equal in percentage of vote on average.
We can go on …
Yes, parties still choose candidates which appeal to their base because most states still have party segregated primaries although as mentioned earlier that too is slowly recessing. But who the party base is changes.
Trump has been registered with multiple parties and no party over the years and actually ran in a minor party primary in 2000, although his rhetoric now is aimed more at supporters of his then primary opponent Pat Buchanan – again, in a minor party. We were disaffected enough with the GOP to back minor party candidates then – Ron Paul in 88, Ross Perot twice, Pat Buchanan, Bob Barr, Virgil Goode – but now we’re GOP base, although we (i and family and friends) consider ourselves independent.
So are we GOP base or independent? Depends on who gains control of the GOP when. I owe them zero loyalty and would ditch them again any time they nominate someone I can’t stand eg. bushes, McCains, Cheneys, Romneys, doles and their like. I certainly wouldn’t send them money, register to vote with them, attend their meetings, etc, most folks I know feel the exact same way.
Long long ago our folks were all yellow dog Democrats for a century but it’s been over a half century since then and we sure ain’t now. .
And having past involvement with American/ American Independent, Libertarian, Constitution and Reform parties I can attest with certain surety i have no higher regard of any of their ilk – the problems are systemic and universal among them – as other folks I know feel likewise. The more years pass the more we feel thusly. Not just me and folks I know, but my research on popular opinion trends keeps confirming the same conclusions ever more firmly.
Just because y’all don’t recognize these trends yet does. Not. Mean they aren’t happening.
They’re happening.
Believe me now or believe me later.
“The era of parties is over, but some have not quite caught on yet”
Evidently, neither of the major parties have caught on. Both of them chose candidates with strong appeal to their bases, but with very limited appeal beyond them. If there is a significant bunch of independents out there, both parties are ignoring them.
There is no evidence to suggest the era of parties is over.
Being independent is fine, but registering under the best/least bad party when registering to vote is better, because it is an opportunity to make yourself heard and provide feedback, since many (most?) states publish those registration figures.
The only exceptions I can think of are, if your state has closed primaries in which you wish to vote, or if all of the parties in your state are terrible. But in the latter case, you are still better off just making something up and filling that in (e.g. the “Make Alaska Russian Again Party”) than registering as an independent, which is just throwing away an opportunity.
Have you heard of being independent? The era of parties is over, but some have not quite caught on yet.
Whatever they are, or call themselves, they don’t seem to have a place in either the Democratic or Republican Party. So, they might as well from a new party and clarify just what they are and what they stand for. Being “anti-Trump” isn’t sufficient to define them. If nothing else, it will make for some interesting discussion about ideology and policy..
First and foremost, right off the bat: “If you take advice from WaPo, you ain’t conservative! Look at their record, man!” U+1F601
“Rubin first suggests that disaffected conservatives could align themselves with the right flank of the Democratic Party”
The right flank which the Democrats forced out of their party decades ago, many of who joined the GOP and many of whom are now the exact same people she is telling to return to the party that originally spat them out? Genius.
“Liz Cheney […] recently mentioned the possibility of organizing a new conservative party ”
Don’t make me tap the sign again:
What kind of conservative wants to ensure that the murdering of babies can continue unabated?
What kind of conservative would want to force women to be drafted into the military?
What kind of conservative wipes their ass with the Bill of Rights?
And what kind of conservative would ever endorse Kamala Harris for president no matter who they were running against?
Liz Cheney is no conservative, neo- or otherwise, and never has been. She has no respect for the founding fathers or the constitution. She’s merely the RINO branded version of Tom Hoefling and Joel Skousen: a deeply evil, totalitarian warhawk.
“In 2020, the Libertarian Party successfully elected Marshall Burt to the Wyoming state legislature as part of the Frontier Project […] In addition to Burt, the Frontier Project also nearly elected Bethany Baldes that same year in another Wyoming legislative district, where Baldes received 49.4% of the vote.”
Firstly, notice how Burt quit the LP and joined the GOP since then. Despite criticizing the Libertarian National Convention for inviting Trump to speak, he still felt either more at home in Trump’s GOP, or felt that he had a higher chance of successfully achieving something via Trump’s GOP.
Secondly, remember that Wyoming is a state so anti-conservative, that it not only elected the Cheneys to congress, but also installed Mark Gordon as a governor.
This Mark Gordon: https://notthebee.com/article/wyomings-republican-governor-axed-a-doctor-from-the-state-medical-board-because-he-wrote-a-letter-opposing-trans-surgeries-on-kids
Presenting Wyoming as a roadmap for conservatives who think Trump has taken the GOP too far left, is… bold. “A bold strategy, Cotton, let’s see if it pays off.”
“Rubin’s third point also happens to reflect the current strategy of the Forward Party”
The Forward Party that is chaired by a Harris-endorsing far-left Democrat, a Harris-endorsing former RINO, and a man who does not want to make any distinction between good or evil because that would be “unnecessarily polarizing”… Very compelling blueprint.
Jennifer Rubin is one of many DC grifters who makes a living pretending to be conservative. And because DC elites have an endless appetite for these fallacies, she doesn’t even have to pretend to be a conservative. She just has to claim the title. This is why DC lives with this constant illusion that somehow the true Republucans will come out of the woodwork and reclaim the Republican party. They are in for an extreme psychotic episode in November when their hallucinations meet the hard rock of reality. My