The Dems Should Nominate a Conservative. 

Rebecca Wright/CNN

This article was written before Kamala Harris was nominated via DNC voice vote and before she had selected Tim Walz to be her running mate.

As I am writing this article, July 21st, Joe Biden has officially announced that he will not be seeking re-election as president. Subsequently, he has endorsed Kamala Harris to be the Democratic Party’s nominee for this position. The DNC is going to be held on the 19th of August, which will likely be the first “open convention” in a hundred years. An open convention is where the delegates, rather than the primary voters, choose the nominee. Given Biden’s endorsement, it is highly likely that the delegates will select Harris to be the nominee, it is however, not a certainty. The Delegates can vote for whomever they want, regardless of the president’s wishes. 

Several other Democrats’ names have been thrown out as potential candidates. Governor of Michigan Gretchen Whitmer, the Governor of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro, the Governor California Gavin Newsom, another Governor in JB Pretzker who is the Governor of Illinois, and Transport Secretary Pete Butegig. All of these potential candidates are Democrats. Despite all of them varying in how progressive or centrist they are, they all adhere to the same basic tenets of the Democratic Party.

However, I wish to make the case for why the Democratic Party should not nominate a democrat at all. 

Rather I believe that the Democratic Party’s path to victory this November lies in nominating someone who is not a member of the party. I believe that the Democratic Party should nominate a Conservative for President. 

This election has a lot of themes surrounding it. For Trump’s campaign, they want to position this election as a fight against the elites, a fight against the people who ousted Trump from office in 2020. For the Democrats, this election is about a fight for Democracy. They want to frame this election as a battle for the soul of America, the type of fight that regardless of how you lean politically, should be a fight where you oppose a second Trump presidency. To this end, a core message of Democratic campaigning has been Unity. 

It is then expected that whomever the Democrats nominate, that they should embody this core message of Unity. The road to success for the Democrats this November lies in nominating someone who can show voters that they value unity over partisanship in contrast to the Republicans who value partisan attacks and extremism over governing the country. 

The question then, falls to who is best able to exemplify this.

The fact of the matter is that with how toxic the American political dialogue has gotten, a lot of Democratic candidates, in a justified opposition to the tyranny Trump represents, have gotten down in the partisan mud slinging that has come to define our political discourse. Donald Trump threw a molotov cocktail to the establishment. In the process he caused a massive populist fire. A fire that has consumed our politics, no matter right or left.

With that said there are a few people left that havent been consumed by this fire: Conservatives. When I say “Conservative” I don’t mean “Republican” I mean “Conservative” I mean it in a philosophical context ie; someone who resists extremism, someone who wants a return to a conservative “status quo” that was disrupted with the election of Donald Trump.

Traditionally the Republican Party has occupied the role as the Conservative force in American politics. That changed with the election of Trump in 2016. 

There are still a few Conservative Republicans out there. 

Adam Kinzinger was forced out of office for daring to denounce, and vote to impeach, Trump for his actions on Jan 6th. In his book Renegade (which is very good you should read it!), he explains how the Republican party was co-opted by a Populist, anti-establishment, Evangelical, Nationalist, Party. 

Similarly, Liz Chenny showed incredible courage in being one of the few Republican leaders to denounce and oppose Trump’s tyrannical policies. In return she was censured by her own party and was subsequently forced out of power.

Mitt Romney. Romney’s fate is, in a way, emblematic of the takeover of the Republican Party. He was once the standard bearer of the party, running in 2012 and later continuing to serve in the House as a representative for Utah. After voting to impeach Donald Trump he was practically  cast out of a party that, just ten years ago, had nominated him for President. He also has opted not to run for re-election. 

There are also “Conservative” Democrats that could fit the role. 

Pete Butigeig has served as a voice of unity and calm in his capacity as Secretary of Transportation under Biden. He has always been willinging to engage in dialogues with people across the aisle. To add to this, Butigeig was mayor of South Bend Indiania, a blue city in a red state. Another thing of note is that Butigeig serving as an openly gay man is reflective of the Democratic Party’s commitment to inclusivity and as such, could appeal to a wide demographic of voters. 

Joe Manchin, while running as an independent, is speculated to re-register as a Democrat to challenge Kamala for the nomination. During his time in congress Manchin has consistently put policy over party, and has worked with Republicans and Democrats on numerous occasions to propose and pass bipartisan bills.

Mary Peltoa was elected just two years ago to represent Alaska in the House of Representatives. She currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Blue Dog coalition, a group of conservative Democrats. In her capacity as a representative she has worked alongside Republicans to pass  bipartisan proposals into law. Including her support for fisheries and environmental protections, along with her serving on the Infrastructure committee with other Republicans.

I think that any of these people would make a terrific nominee. If the Democratic Party were to nominate anyone of these individuals they would be making it clear to the nation that the party values principles over partisanship and policies. It would truly show everyone that this election is about much more than just typical political disagreements, rather it would indicate that this election is about what makes America, America, and about rallying together in a unified opposition to the people who want to see it burn to the ground.

As of now 1,000 delegates have pledged their support to Kamala, and that number is only going to grow as we get closer to the convention. I feel quite certain in saying that, barring any crazy event, she will be the nominee. Given the overwhelming support for Harris, it is unfortunately unlikely that another candidate like Joe Manchin or Adam Kinzeger will be chosen.

The question then falls to whom Harris should select to be her vice president.

Several names have been speculated as potential running mates. All of the major contenders names I mentioned at the start of this article could be potential running mates. 

In selecting her running mate Harris has the possibility to accomplish something truly incredible. If she were to choose a Never-Trump Republican, like Kinzenger or Romney, she would be fronting the first bipartisan ticket in American History. 

This radical action is what it takes to demonstrate to the nation that in 2024 we are no longer divided into Blue states and Red states, but rather, we are unified in our support for our nation’s democratic institutions and procedures. 

This would be a truly incredible decision from Harris should it happen. It is my firm belief that taking it is our best sure fire shot to win the 51% percent of Americans who are independents, or in other words, the silent majority that decides crucial elections like this one.

Besides Harris doing this there is only one other man who can unite the country in opposition to Donald Trump.

Mayor Pete Buteigig.

Buteigig is an articulate speaker, a man who has spent the last four years articulating to all Americans, regardless of political affiliation, why a second Trump presidency would be a fatal blow for Democracy.

Selecting Pete is the most feasible way to unite Americans in opposition to what the Republican Party stands for.

I believe the best President and vice President pair to nominate would be a Manchin/Kinzenger ticket or a Romney/Pelota ticket.

However, taking into account the immense public and political support for Kamala Harris, I believe she should select Mayor Pete as Vice President, to unite the country against a disastrous second term under Donald Trump.