Passing the Torch
If a conservative victory must come at the expense of conservative values, have conservatives actually won?
By Jacob Reese
Over the summer, the political torch was passed to new candidates and policies and conservatives should be concerned.
Kamala Harris’ unprecedented nomination upset the electoral landscape and raised the stakes for the 2024 presidential race. Conservatives, however, are facing a problem much larger than a single election cycle. A redefinition within the Republican Party threatens to replace bedrock conservative values for generations to come.
Democratic Transformation
President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw himself as a presidential candidate and the Democratic Party’s nomination of Kamala Harris transformed what appeared to be an easy Republican victory into an extremely competitive race.
Nate Silver’s National Polling Average shows that since Biden’s withdrawal, Democrats made massive gains in every battleground state including Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. Harris’ campaign is also outraising Republican nominee President Donald Trump’s and legacy media giants such as ABC and CBS are delivering generous airtime to her.
This dramatic candidate swap poses a profound challenge to Republican success at the polls in November. Another political transformation, however, is fundamentally redefining the Republican Party.
Republican Redefinition
Since the Reagan years, the Republican party has consistently defended the right to life and free markets. Today’s GOP platform and campaign rhetoric compelled social conservatives and free marketers to relinquish their torch of leadership to the populists and protectionists.
The GOP’s new position on life in particular illustrates the extent of this redefinition.
As recently as 2020, the GOP unequivocally stated, “[W]e assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed.” Now, the Republican platform punts the life issue to the states and defends “access to Birth Control, and IVF.”
On the campaign trail, Trump also adopted a lenient position on abortion. He labeled Florida’s six-week ban a “terrible mistake” and proclaimed that his “administration will be great for women and their reproductive rights.”
This rapid and fundamental change in Republican policy seemingly abandons the core conservative value of life defended in every GOP platform since Reagan; yet it is what the party’s presidential nominee and leadership are running with.
The GOP’s stance on tariffs tells a similar tale. Economically, GOP leadership reversed decades of labeling tariffs as burdensome and harmful and endorsed protectionist tariffs as a boon to American business.
Admittedly, life and tariffs occupy complicated positions in American society and campaigns must be pragmatic when designing their platforms. Nevertheless, the embrace of these new policy positions represents a dangerous redefinition of Republican policies and threatens a generational break between conservative principles and party priorities.
The Stakes
Faced with an electoral landscape that was transformed when Harris took up the torch of presidential nominee from Biden, Republicans may be tempted to excuse their policy redefinition as a necessary evil to secure victory in November. If a conservative victory must come at the expense of conservative values, however, have conservatives actually won?
With the rise of Kamala Harris and the apparent Republican rejection of conservative principles the United States is on a rough path. Despite this foreboding political picture, there is still reason to hope for conservative values.
A New Year for CheckPoint
A third passing of the torch, one occurring here at the Institute for Faith and Freedom’s CheckPoint News, should inspire conservatives of all ages to boldly confront the challenge at hand.
Under the leadership of our new Editor-in-Chief, Katelyn Livorse, another generation of CheckPoint News editors and contributors are poised to engage with the issues, deliver commentary that defends conservative values, and contribute to a brighter future – a future of faith and freedom.
As we take hold of our torch, we will check facts and make points about real people and real stories that impact our lives. We thank you for joining us on this journey. Great things are coming, and we are only getting started.
About the Author
Jacob Reese is a research fellow at the Institute for Faith & Freedom and a content editor for CheckPoint News. He is a junior political science major and Trustee Scholar.
Jacob serves as the Executive Citations Editor for the Grove City College Journal of Law and Public Policy. He is Sergeant at Arms for The Federalist Society and is a member of the American Enterprise Institute Collegiate Network. He also works as a teaching assistant for Drs. Michael Coulter and Samuel Stanton.
In 2023, Jacob worked as an intern for Cornerstone Law Firm. There, he conducted statutory and case research, communications, and discovery in support of ongoing litigation. In the summer of 2024, Jacob worked as an intern at the Pennsylvania Family Institute. Jacob worked on researching political candidates and state welfare programs, authoring press releases, and meeting with state legislators.
Upon graduation, Jacob anticipates attending law school and entering private practice.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are those of the writer alone. They do not necessarily reflect the official position of Grove City College, the Institute for Faith and Freedom, or their affiliates.
Cover Photo by Mateus Maia on Unsplash