Want Better Republicans? Stop Sitting Out Primaries

When the American people granted the GOP a Senate majority earlier this month, they did so with the expectation that these senators would help Donald Trump carry out his vision for the country. This means passing his legislative priorities and quickly confirming cabinet picks to deliver the promises he made to voters.

But not even a month after the 2024 election, the Senate GOP is hard at work sabotaging Trump’s agenda.

On Thursday, Matt Gaetz withdrew as the incoming president’s pick for attorney general after at least four Republican senators — Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, John Curtis of Utah, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Susan Collins of Maine — were reportedly opposed to his confirmation to the post.

Republican voters have every right to be furious. By sending Trump back to the White House, they demanded change from the status quo and a government that works for them. Now, Senate Republicans — who underperformed Trump during the 2024 election — are stymying that change.

But understanding why so many GOP senators are comfortable sabotaging their own voters is key to preventing this sort of sabotage moving forward.

These officials know they can get away with this kind of betrayal because Republican voters have repeatedly allowed them to do so. For years, conservatives have largely failed to get involved in GOP primaries and ensure the Republicans they elect are the ones who will serve their interests once in office.

Consider the following GOP senators, many of whom come from “red” states and have been reelected numerous times despite regularly selling out their base.

In addition to endlessly shipping U.S. taxpayer money to Ukraine, McConnell teamed up with Oklahoma’s James Lankford and Senate Democrats earlier this year to push legislation that would’ve enshrined the Biden-Harris border invasion into law. Meanwhile, Iowa’s Joni Ernst has voted in favor of bills expanding gun control, shipping U.S. dollars to Ukraine, and opening the legal system to abuse by LGBT activists who want to target religious Americans. She also sided with Democrats in a PR campaign against Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s protest against the Pentagon’s abortion policy.

Texas’ John Cornyn — another proponent of endless Ukraine funding — spearheaded efforts to pass the aforementioned gun control bill and has supported massive omnibus spending packages that have driven up the national debt. North Carolina’s Thom Tillis also voted for the gun control package, more American dollars to Ukraine, and the previously mentioned pro-LGBT bill.

And that’s only the tip of the establishment iceberg. A quick search through the voting records of the Senate GOP caucus shows similar examples of “uniparty” antics.

With this caliber of Republicans, is it any surprise that a swamp creature like South Dakota’s John Thune gets elected majority leader?

[RELATED: By Backing The Establishment, Trump Hampers His Voters’ Agenda]

It’s worth mentioning that many GOP primaries don’t have the same level of voter turnout that general election races do. In the cases of Ernst and Cornyn, for example, more than half of the voters who supported them in the general election didn’t show up in their respective primaries.

The unwillingness of the GOP base to engage in the primary process has produced a Republican Party mostly comprised of individuals who loathe the very people they are elected to represent. They dismiss the concerns of voters because they’re never punished at the ballot box for their negligence.

And it’s a problem only the people have the power to fix.

Being a self-governing society doesn’t mean showing up to the ballot box every two to four years and going home until the next general election. It requires a dedicated citizenry regularly involved in primaries and overseeing every facet of local, state, and federal government to ensure their representatives fulfill the obligations given to them by voters.

Until that changes, conservatives should continue to expect repeated betrayal from the Republican Party.

Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood