If you look at the outcome of the runoff on January 5, there are some lessons to be learned. Bubba McDonald got over 50% of the vote in his runoff for Public Service Commissioner and there was no hype on his election so people voted more of a party line and as a favored incumbent. Also, if you look at the Special Election on November 3rd for Sen. Johnny Isakson’s unexpired seat, over 52% of voters voted for a Republican or right-leaning candidates. The same was true in Senator Perdue’s results on November 3 when you take out the Libertarian candidate. So there are about 50.5 to 52% Republicans or right-leaning voters in Georgia—if they come out to vote.
President Trump and many others in the Georgia GOP had a message of on the one hand, the election was stolen and on the other hand, we need you to vote. This confusing message made a fair number of Republicans either not vote at all or not vote for the Senate races. These voters angry about the November 3rd election may have taught us a lesson, but at what price?
With the Republican Party of Georgia looking like a Jenga game where someone pulled the wrong block out and elected and appointed officials acting like their momma didn’t teach them how to act, we could throw this majority away. So what next?
It starts with the right issues and then communicating them. Our ideas are better and they expand the economy and our quality of life, not limit it. There are three issues that are GOP issues but we’ve lost our way. It should not be about tying to one candidate or using the same phrase over and over, but it is about having a clear vision on issues and communicating it. I’ve learned this because I’ve made some of these mistakes and if you look honestly at yourself, you have, too.
First, we need to communicate a clear vision on education. Whatever your politics, if you are a mom or dad or other caregiver of a child, you are worried about the impact of your children being out of school and not being around other people and having a classroom experience. We are the party of getting back to school safely.
Second, we need to communicate a clear vision on healthcare. Whether it is the lives and livelihoods Covid policy or delivering health care in rural and urban areas, we need to have a consistent voice on why our healthcare system works. I had a medical emergency in November and I am thankful I had the ability to get the best healthcare in the world.
Third, we have get back to our fiscal values. If the choice is the spending party or the more spending party, we won’t win.
I want to know what you think and I will write more about this as we go.
In the next piece, we’ll talk campaigning in the 21st Century. The over controlling of events where the candidate never talks to people who don’t agree with them is not working for the GOP. If we are going to win people over, we’ve got to talk to them. We need a candidate that will go anywhere and talk to anyone. My first radio slogan was “civil discourse on a variety of subjects” and it works.
