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For years, Americans have been told that a third-party candidate in any election would split the party vote. United States elections are primarily comprised of just two main parties, where Republicans and Democrats both vie for control of the House, Senate, and Executive Office.
In fact, no presidential candidate stands a chance of winning without the captured nomination of either the Democrat or Republican party going into a presidential election.
Today, as Americans are looking ahead toward a heated 2022 midterm election in November, the battle lines have been clearly drawn. In August, President Trump’s impressive endorsement success record sat at 167 and 6 this cycle, effectively repositioning Trump’s handpicked candidates in place for the general election on one simple but effective concept: America First.
Where Old Republicanism Goes to Die
The two-party system in America, which has seriously entrenched ideological lines between registered voters, was not necessarily the founder’s vision for this constitutional republic. However, like it or not, it is the system we have today, and President Trump has done something remarkable in recognizing that fact.
Rather than working against the system, he has politically partnered with the existing GOP to promote and support Republican candidates who pledge loyalty to his staunch America First policy agenda items.
Over the past 246 years, the U.S.’s political system sprung forth from a crisscrossed slate of Federalists, Democratic-Republicans, and Whigs.
In 1860, Abraham Lincoln won the presidency, effectively cementing the Republican Party as the powerful counterpart with which to push against Democrat politics, according to research from UVA’s Miller Center.
Democrats and Republicans have vied for control of Congress and the presidency ever since. Until President Donald Trump, it is arguable that no one had really shaken up the political landscape of the Republican Party since Lincoln himself in 1860.
When Trump arrived on the scene, the “old” Republican Party was exhumed and infused with new life. Trump introduced a new way of doing politics that was straightforward, business-minded, and matter-of-fact.
The America First Agenda
While mainstream critics and tepid commentators continue to opine about Trump’s allegedly waning popularity, the polls tell an entirely different story. For example, the same week that Trump’s home in Palm Beach, Florida, was shockingly raided by the FBI, a Morning Consult and Politico poll found that a jaw-dropping 71 percent of GOP voters wanted to see Trump run for president again in 2024. Rather than decreasing his likeability among Republican voters, attacks on the 45th president only seem to increase it, indicating that the base of the GOP is effectively attached to President Trump because they simply like how he does business.
Further, Trump’s endorsement strategy has begun to usher in a new era of conservative candidates who have captured the essence of original Republicanism. The America First agenda is simple, after all: establishing strong, secure borders, lowering taxes, increasing domestic energy production, lowering gas prices, and increasing the strength of our military. Most of all, America First is a philosophical approach to foreign policy and relations, which Trump boldly put into action during his term in the White House.
In fact, Trump rightly remarked in February that if he were in office today, the violent bloodshed between Russia and Ukraine “wouldn’t have happened.” He added that the European chaos was only playing out now because Putin “doesn’t have any respect for our leadership. He doesn’t have any respect for our country anymore.”
Trump’s popularity with voters has far from waned. Even a recent CPAC straw poll netted the 45th president a hefty 69 percent of a hypothetical 2024 GOP presidential primary vote among Republicans.
His dominant position as a potential presidential favorite, as well as his ability to successfully endorse Republicans who align with his America First agenda, has created an entirely new phenomenon amidst a U.S. political plateau.
Trump has sparked a third party.
America First is the Third-Party Voters Want
While the America First movement is certainly not a literal third party, its legion of candidates and dedicated supporters have swiftly cemented it as a party within the existing GOP. America First candidates stand in direct contrast to the “old” Republicans represented by lukewarm conservatives like President George W. Bush.
America First is a breath of fresh air that takes a simple and effective approach to dealing with the chaos of today’s politics. Kari Lake, the Trump-endorsed GOP gubernatorial nominee in Arizona, astutely observed, “This is the new Republican Party, the party of we the people, and we’re welcoming anyone in who loves America. We welcome anyone who is tired of these failed policies of the Democrats. We welcome them to this party.”
America First presents ironclad competition to failed establishment “RINO” politicians like Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., while unflinchingly stonewalling the agenda items of the radical left.
Cleverly, America First utilizes the platform and the fundraising power of the existing Republican Party and diverts it to support fresh, strong candidates who have been strategically selected by President Trump, the political kingmaker.
Is America First an official third party? Certainly not, but if the polls are any indication, there will likely be a “Red Wave” of Republican victories in November. Most of those victories will send America First candidates to Washington who stand in the way of the “old” Republican Party’s traditionally weak approach to fighting the left’s radical plans to reshape the United States as we know it.
America First may not be a literal third party, but it is certainly a third and popular choice for many conservatives and conservative-leaning independents who are tired of a broken, faltering political system that has failed to work for the people of this country as it was intended.
