On August 23rd, Republican Presidential hopefuls took the stage in Milwaukee to show right-of-center, primary voters—and the world—why they are best suited to take on President Joe Biden in his bid for a second term in office.
President Joe Biden’s disastrous fiscal policies were, predictably, high atop the list of topics for discussion on the Wisconsin debate stage. Even the least politically involved Americans are feeling the impact that Bidenomics has on their wallets. On average, the price of a cup of coffee is up 32% since 2021, and the price of eggs has more than doubled. Hosting a Labor Day BBQ next weekend? The price of beef and chicken is up about 30% since the 46th President took office. Presidential hopefuls rightfully attributed rising costs across the board to the current administration’s rampant federal spending (to the tune of $10 trillion). The candidates signaled that our country is at a dire crossroads, and we can turn this ship around, but we need a leader who can appeal to the masses to right the wrongs that stem from Bidenomics.
To rid Washington of ideas and policies that serve as a direct attack on the pocketbooks of hardworking Americans, we need a new face to lead the fight towards fiscal sanity—and Americans for Prosperity has determined that the GOP must appeal to the masses by embracing a new leader to lead the Republican ticket. According to FiveThirtyEight, as of August 17th, former President Donald Trump has an unfavorable rating of 54.6% amongst Americans—comparable to President Joe Biden’s 54.5% unfavorable ranking posted on the same day. With former President Trump’s 100% name recognition and startlingly high polling numbers amongst likely Republican primary voters, many right-leaning potential voters may fear a false choice between voting for the status quo, or a re-match against Donald Trump vs. Joe Biden.
Trump’s high polling numbers amongst likely Republican primary voters track, however, and make sense in the short term. In 2016, then-business mogul Donald Trump swept the PA Republican primary with 56% of the vote—though only 1.6 million of the 3.3 million registered Republican voters in PA bothered to turn out. When the general election of 2016 rolled around, Trump was only able to claim victory in Pennsylvania by less than 1%, signaling a lack of support with likely Republican general election voters. In 2020, during the 45th President’s re-election, he lost the commonwealth by a slightly more decided 1.6%.
President Joe Biden’s unfavorable numbers are real—and this proves to be a great opportunity for Pennsylvanians to fight to take back the commonwealth and share that taxpayers are ready to move past four years of tax and spend policy that hinders economic prosperity for all. However, we must do so by turning the page and providing an alternative to status quo candidates that can’t appeal to a large, yet quiet, group of right-of-center voters that feel uninspired by the current political climate.
Americans for Prosperity CEO Emily Seidel was quoted recently in the Wall Street Journal by sharing, “The way we’ve been looking at it this whole time is that the most likely outcome is that President Biden and former President Trump are the nominees. In that situation, Biden wins. And what we know is that Americans can’t afford four more years of spending-fueled inflation, and an administrative state that’s on steroids, and on and on.” Instead of banking on an “inevitable” choice between two candidates, we can open other voters to the idea of a new free-market driven, fiscally conservative administration that appeals to voters of all ideologies.
Forging the path towards a new chapter for fiscal conservatism will take work, but Americans for Prosperity-PA has already talked with over 100,000 likely Pennsylvania voters on their doorstep or over the phone. In order to provide a Pennsylvania electorate with a new choice, we’ll need to expand the pool of voters by 10-15%. We’re hearing that the economy and inflation are the top-ranking issues that would drive these non-likely Republican primary voters to turn out to the polls, and, among the likely Trump supporters in this group of voters, 41% would be open to another candidate. Unfortunately, 60% of these voters feel that the country’s best days are behind us, signaling an electorate that, despite their choices in Republican presidential primary candidates, remains united against President Biden’s economic policies.
We can, and must, redirect the country towards one that will ensure prosperity—one that allows individuals to make the best decisions for themselves and their families, instead of taking directives from Washington. Join our movement for more. Help us Reignite the American Dream by heading to americansforprosperity.org, signing your name to our growing list of concerned advocates, and following on social media at @afppennsylvania on Twitter and @afppa on Facebook.
This is Emily Greene, Deputy State Director with Americans for Prosperity-PA.
Emily Greene | Deputy State Director | Americans for Prosperity – PA
m: 412.552.0271 | e: [email protected] | @AFPPennsylvania