Trump could cost the GOP the election. But Vance could beat Harris

Vance is wrong about what it means to be conservative. We don’t agree on many fundamental things. But I could put those differences aside and vote for him if he were at the top of the list.

We’re just weeks away from the presidential election, and Republican nominee Donald Trump’s campaign is trailing Vice President Kamala Harris in the polls nationwide as every candidate sprints to the finish line.

This is a close race. And while that may not be surprising now, very few Republicans would have predicted it before President Joe Biden dropped out of the race this summer.

That means Republicans may be wondering why. Why is this election so close?

The more Trump speaks, the more Americans are reminded of his shortcomings as a candidate, both in character and coherence. Many Republicans are also likely to wonder what might have been if someone like Sen. JD Vance of Ohio had been at the top of the GOP ticket and not Trump.

I know this is a ridiculous hypothesis. Vance never participated in the Republican Party primaries, choosing instead to use his loyalty to Trump to establish his national brand as the vice presidential candidate. Still, I can’t help but imagine what the race would look like if Republicans had rejected Trump in the primary and chosen another Republican candidate instead.

Another Republican candidate would dominate the polls

In such a favorable political climate, Republicans would have done well to err on the side of caution and select a less controversial and more competent candidate, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis or former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley. the two runners-up in the GOP primary.

A candidate like former South Carolina Gov. Haley, who appeals to some moderate Democrats, would have been extremely difficult for Democrats. But it’s also hard not to see that even a candidate with MAGA appeal, like DeSantis, wouldn’t do better against Harris than Trump.

GOP voters instead decided that the Republican Party could afford to nominate Trump because they had such an advantage over Biden, one of the few candidates who could ultimately lose to Biden and Harris.

Opinion: I was wrong about Vance. The vice presidential debate shows that Republicans can win thanks to him.

Voters have come to expect candidates to bring a lot of baggage with them. Trump has too much.

Voters can overcome a lot of noise surrounding their candidate because if you’re looking for the perfect person, politics isn’t the place to find them. Voters like me would, by and large, have had no problem voting for any of the other viable primary candidates.

However, Trump’s character and competence are a bridge too far for me as a conservative voter. This is reinforced by more moderate or centrist voters.

As much as you can criticize people like DeSantis, Haley and Vance for their mistakes, they tend to fall into the category of more traditional political baggage. Trump, on the other hand, represents an exception to these norms, given that he attempted to overturn an election, has a long history of attacking women — and is an actual convicted felon.

The reasons Trump is disqualified from the presidency, in many of our eyes, are either his morally bankrupt character or his attempt to steal an election. Take that away, and many of us conservatives who wouldn’t vote for Trump as a candidate could find a way to support his policy platform if someone else were the face of it.

Vance makes Trump look ridiculous by comparison

Vance is wrong about what it means to be conservative. We don’t agree on many fundamental things. However, I could put these differences aside and vote for him if he were at the top of the list.

Given his recent debate performance, Vance has gained momentum as a force in the Republican Party. His strong performance was many Americans’ first detailed look at the vice presidential candidate, and it was an excellent first impression.

Opinion: Biden’s economic policies are bad. Trump’s obsession with tariffs isn’t much better.

As I watched this debate, I couldn’t help but compare the coherence of his positions with Trump’s garbled reasoning in his own debate. I couldn’t help but think that the race would look very different if someone like Vance was at the top of the list.

Vance isn’t the morally bankrupt character that Trump is, although I think he’s sold out in some ways. He has not been accused of credible sexual assault like Trump, he does not have a very public history of infidelity, and he was not the initiator of an attempt to overturn a legitimate election in our own country.

Vance’s worst crime is his spinelessness, to which I say: Show me a politician who isn’t that.

Trump is qualified to be President of the United States not because of his policies, but because he lacks the character required for that office.

To win the vote of conservatives like me, the GOP must move on from Trump. Vance is clearly part of the party’s plan to do this, but it would be much better if Republicans had decided this for this election, rather than after another dart throw with Trump.

Dace Potas is an opinion columnist for USA TODAY and a graduate of DePaul University with a degree in political science.

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Trump could cost the GOP the election. But Vance could beat Harris

Vance is wrong about what it means to be conservative. We don’t agree on many fundamental things. But I could put those differences aside and vote for him if he were at the top of the list.

Another Republican candidate would dominate the polls

Voters have come to expect candidates to bring a lot of baggage with them. Trump has too much.

Vance makes Trump look ridiculous by comparison

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Trump could cost the GOP the election. But Vance could beat Harris

Vance is wrong about what it means to be conservative. We don’t agree on many fundamental things. But I could put those differences aside and vote for him if he were at the top of the list.

Another Republican candidate would dominate the polls

Voters have come to expect candidates to bring a lot of baggage with them. Trump has too much.

Vance makes Trump look ridiculous by comparison

Related posts:

By Hudson Brooklyn

Related Post

Bomb scare in Limerick city housing estate leads defense forces to defuse suspicious device

I was skeptical about this new drama series, but now I’m obsessed

Linkin Park and Metallica headlining Sick New World 2025

You Missed

Bomb scare in Limerick city housing estate leads defense forces to defuse suspicious device

I was skeptical about this new drama series, but now I’m obsessed

Linkin Park and Metallica headlining Sick New World 2025

Tune in: Watch Sporting’s season finale live on Saturday on MLS Season Pass