Don’t Forget the Non-Trump GOP Field

Don’t Forget the Non-Trump GOP Field

By Peter Wehner
August 31, 2015
Commentary Magazine


During the Summer of Trump, when so much media attention has focused on the billionaire businessman who has rocketed to the top of the polls, it’s been a welcome relief over the last few days to listen to a thoughtful and serious conservative voice on the presidential stage: Florida Senator Marco Rubio.

During his appearances on television and radio interviews, I was reminded what a talented figure he is. Among his gifts is persuasion. By that I mean he has the ability to connect with people who are not now voting Republican in presidential races, something that is essential when demography and the electoral map are tilted against the GOP. One gets the sense with Rubio that he didn’t grow up surrounded by people who shared his views, so he developed the ability to speak in ways he can be heard by those who don’t start out agreeing with him. It helps that Rubio is also very conversant about public policy and is chock-full of ideas.

In saying this, I’m not arguing Senator Rubio will be or even necessarily should be the Republican nominee. There are several other candidates who are very impressive people and bring to the race different skill sets than Rubio. It’s no surprise to anyone who has read me over the years that I have great admiration for Governor Jeb Bush, whose conservative record and achievements impress me and whose approach to politics and life generally resonates with me.

I find Governor Kasich to be an attractive figure in many respects; based on his effervescence and accomplishments, his rise in the polls doesn’t surprise me. Scott Walker is a solid and gutsy governor, though he looks wobbly as a presidential candidate (his contortions on birthright citizenship were painful to watch). Governor Chris Christie can be abrasive at times, but I thought he did the best of the candidates in the Cleveland debate earlier this month, besting both Rand Paul and Mike Huckabee in his confrontations with them. He’s obviously a bright and talented individual.

Carly Fiorina, despite (or perhaps because of) having no political experience, has been one of the early stars in the presidential race. Former Texas Governor Rick Perry has given some impressive speeches (one of which I praised here). And to Perry’s credit, and probably to his political detriment, he took on, head on, Donald Trump. My former Ethics and Public Policy Center colleague Rick Santorum is languishing near the bottom of the polls – but then again, that was the case at this time in 2011, and he ended up doing far better than anyone predicted. Mike Huckabee isn’t my cup of tea – I find his refusal to reform entitlement programs to be irresponsible, among other things – but he performed very well in 2008 and is a formidable debater.

I say all this to remind readers that while Donald Trump is a political phenomenon right now – he’s certainly doing better and showed more staying power than I anticipated — the rest of the field is extremely impressive, the best since 1980, and I am among those in the public policy/“reform conservative” world who will do what I can to assist their efforts. I persist in my belief that a modernizing agenda, built around the conservative reform of our public institutions, is right for this moment, and an antidote to Trumpism.

Whoever emerges out of the non-Trump field is impossible to know just now – but here’s what we do know: Whoever emerges will be vastly better, less erratic, more responsible, more conservative and more electable than the man leading the polls right now. I only hope that starting five months from now, Republican primary voters see that as well.

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