Searching for a Conservatism of Normalcy
As the race for the GOP presidential nomination gets under way, the party’s ideological divisions are sharpening.
Consider the opening salvo of Donald Trump’s third Republican presidential campaign. The former president and his allies have fusilladed Ron DeSantis over the Florida governor’s past support for curbing the growth of Medicare and Social Security spending, echoing a similar line of attack from President Joe Biden. This all comes before DeSantis has even formally announced a presidential bid, an indication, perhaps, that Trump aims to deter his most formidable Republican opponent from entering the fray.
Faced with a pincer movement from an adroit former president and Democrats keen on a , DeSantis finds himself in the most vexing position of his strikingly successful political career. His chief advantage in running against Trump has been the, on the scope of —DeSantis is at risk of losing the electability argument. Despite his many liabilities, the former president is positioning himself as the only candidate capable of cementing working-class moderates as a core part of the Republican coalition.
