Voters still have a chance to avoid the President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump rematch that nobody wants, but they have to act fast.
For Democrats, it is almost assuredly too late. Barring some health problem that would require Biden to relinquish the nomination at the convention (not entirely out of the realm of possibility for a man who is 81 years old now and would be 82 on the first day of his second term), the Democrats are stuck with the most unpopular incumbent president since modern polling began.
For Republicans, the path is clearer, but the clock has ticked down to the eleventh hour. The Iowa caucuses are Monday evening, followed by contests in New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina. Trump is ahead in all of them, but his leads are not insurmountable. The remaining two big-name candidates would be a formidable ticket.
The case against Trump is clear, but here is a quick recap. He is nearly as old as Biden (Trump is 77 to Biden’s 81) and at least as unpopular. When Trump last became the party’s leader, Republicans lost the House, Senate, and then the White House. Republicans also lost control of more governors’ mansions and more state legislatures. He said we’d get tired of winning but instead all conservatives should be sick of losing.
Trump is a toxic and divisive leader incapable of building an effective Republican Party that can win enough elections down the ballot to create an effective governing coalition. The solution is easy: move on from Trump.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley are both highly capable, and their combination as president and vice president would be both welcomed by voters and good for America. DeSantis is the candidate with the stronger executive track record, delivering wins first for other Republican candidates down the ballot, and then turning those electoral wins into policy wins at the Capitol.
Before DeSantis became governor, Florida was a purple state that could flip for either party in any election depending on which candidates were involved. Under DeSantis, Florida has become solidly red. DeSantis not only cruised to reelection by a commanding 60%-40% margin, but he helped engineer huge wins for Republican candidates in formerly blue areas of the state.
He then used those electoral wins to produce solid policy changes, most notably on immigration and higher education. On immigration, DeSantis ignored wealthy donors and delivered tough penalties on employers who hired illegal immigrants. As a result, wages are rising for all workers in Florida while the economy has not slowed a bit (unlike California, which is on the verge of recession). On higher education, DeSantis has taken on the federal government-sponsored higher education cartel, delivering better value and more choice for students. He has also dismantled diversity, equity, and inclusion indoctrination in Florida schools, returning to a greatly needed focus on career skills and equality of opportunity.
Haley would bring a strong balance to a Republican ticket. She has the foreign policy experience DeSantis lacks and a clear and compelling understanding of America’s place in the world. She could make strong inroads into the college-educated suburban communities that Trump has sent running to the Democratic Party.
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Either candidate would be a far superior choice than Trump. Together, they would be an overwhelmingly more attractive electoral and governing partnership than Biden-Harris.
Voters know the country is on the wrong track, and a Biden versus Trump rematch would push it further down that path. It is far past time for a new generation of leadership. There is still time for a DeSantis-Haley administration to become reality.