RECOMMENDED READING
America’s Republican party is on a winning streak. Its congressional candidates recently claimed the largest lead recorded in 40 years of polling by ABC News and the Washington Post. In Virginia, a state that has trended steadily leftward, a slate of conservative candidates triumphed in November. Internally, though, the GOP has just begun grappling with the revisions its agenda will require, if and when its momentum yields governing power.
For some on the right, recent successes prove that the GOP has found its post-Trump footing. Glenn Youngkin led the Carlyle Group before campaigning in a McKinsey-style fleece vest. Now he is Virginia’s governor-elect. From this perspective, there may be no need to address party weaknesses exposed by Donald Trump, or develop a conservative agenda to help today’s working families. Perhaps the standard issue anti-tax, tough-on-crime, country-club Republican of the past can win the future by incorporating a more aggressive tone on cultural issues and exploiting Democratic incompetence.
Recommended Reading
A New Coalition, if You Can Keep It
As the pundits, campaigns, and lawyers continue to unpack this election, there are a few things we know for certain.
The Divided Heart of the GOP
Nick Burns highlights American Compass’s Oren Cass as a “leading muse” of post-Trump conservatism.
A GOP Reckoning? If Trump Loses His Reelection Bid, the Party May Face an Identity Crisis
Maureen Groppe discusses where the Republican Party will go after the 2020 election if Trump loses, noting American Compass’s key role in defining “post-Trumpism.”
