A DIVIDED PARTY IS A LOSING PARTY
By Johnny Kincaid For CCO
July 8, 2024
As the 2024 general election looms, both major political parties are facing division. As fed up as Americans get, the majority stick with the candidates from the Republican or Democratic parties. Instead of considering an alternative candidate, uninspired voters will stay home on Election Day.
On the national level, a fissure has developed among Democrats regarding Joe Biden’s candidacy. On one side are Biden loyalists who believe that he is competent and has earned the right to run for re-election by winning the delegates in the primaries. On the other side are the Democrats who saw the debate as a sign that Biden isn’t fit to serve another four years.
If Biden is convinced to remove himself from the ticket, his loyalists may decide not to vote in the fall election, affecting all of the down-ticket races. If Biden stays in the race, voters must be convinced that he is not having cognitive problems. Either option will affect voter turnout.
In the run for Governor, Indiana Republicans were divided going into the state convention. By a narrow margin, they chose Micah Beckwith as the Lieutenant Governor candidate over the gubernatorial candidate Mike Braun’s choice of Julie McGuire. The GOP will be faced with numerous attempts by Democrats to exploit and widen the divide in the party. Democrats have already latched on to some statements made by Beckwith in an attempt to convince moderate Republicans that he is a radical who will bring doom to the state.
While Democrats have been the minority party in Indiana, they appear to be more united than the GOP. If they can stay united and take advantage of problems in the GOP, they could draw votes from independents and moderate Republicans, jeopardizing the long-term GOP hold on the governor’s office.
Republicans will need to present a united front to stay in office. The battles that led up to the convention must be laid aside. The Braun-Beckwith team has to speak together about their vision for the state. Braun’s agenda has to be Beckwith’s agenda, and Braun would be wise to consider some of the policies that Beckwith talked about during his run for lieutenant governor.
For the Indiana GOP, victory in the fall will require members at all levels to stop bickering and focus on winning the election. Leadership needs to reach out to the record number of new precinct committeemen who were elected in the May primary. These PCs are waiting for leadership to communicate with them in any form. If these members sense a lack of leadership within the party, they will fill the leadership vacuum, even if it’s filled with someone outside of the party.
In Vanderburgh County, there has been talk of long-time party member Marsha Abell Barnhardt facilitating a social event to give all PCs an opportunity to gather and feel welcomed. Such an event would be a welcome start to uniting the party and making new PCs feel welcome.
Republicans throughout the state are very aware of the problems in Vanderburgh County. If members of the Central Committee or people with leadership skills in the party step forward to unite the party, it would set an example for the rest of the state and present the unity necessary to win elections.
A united group of enthusiastic volunteers will excite the voters and get a higher turnout. A divided party will struggle with voter turnout and lose elections.
