Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

The Choice

The States

The Next Two Years

The Court System

Conclusion

References

About the Author

The Republican Path

Michael Haberl

Copyright © 2023 Michael Haberl

All rights reserved

First Edition

Fulton Books

Meadville, PA

Published by Fulton Books 2023

ISBN 979-8-88982-137-3 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88982-138-0 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

This book was written before Ron DeSantis declared his candidacy for President.

The Choice

When looking at the 2024 presidential elections, one thing is for certain: the outcome will be vital. On the Republican side there will likely be two realistic choices for the nomination: former resident Donald Trump and Florida governor Ron DeSantis. The reality Americans face is that the current president, Joe Biden, has led America down a path of destruction, and this country needs new leadership. Many Republicans seem to be torn as to which nominee they believe should lead the ticket. As a first-time presidential voter for Donald Trump in 2020, I wholeheartedly back DeSantis getting the 2024 nomination, and here is why.

The Republican Party was in a major debacle eight years ago when political pundits wondered if the party could ever win the presidential election ever again. Thankfully, this did not turn out to be the case, and the party, two years out from the election with a Democrat incumbent president, looks to be in a far-stronger position than where they were eight years ago. Donald Trump saved the United States from the Clinton machine possibly still being in power right now, and he should be celebrated for this accomplishment, but the simple truth is that the Republican Party must move on from him.

To put this in perspective, the GOP lost forty-one house seats in 2018, while the economy was rather strong when comparing it to today. The 2020 election did not turn out as was hoped, and in 2022, with a Democrat incumbent president, the GOP did not gain one Senate seat. Does this mean that this is all Donald Trump's fault? The answer is no. However, there is so much controversy that comes with him. This may also explain why Trump's approval rating was never above 50 percent according to 538's model. How you conduct yourself as president matters. Any leverage he had with his policies quickly disappeared when the public heard about his behavior. To Donald Trump, all press coverage is favorable to him even if it is directed in a negative fashion toward him.

Many Republican voters feel a sense of loyalty when it comes to voting for Trump in this next election, and I believe this is the wrong way to look at it. Recently, Trump said he would handle Ron DeSantis if he runs for the Republican nomination. This brings me back to Ronald Reagan's eleventh commandment: Thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican. Ron DeSantis is the brightest Republican star in the party, and for Trump to treat him that way would be reprehensible. The Democrats would love nothing more than for Trump to make it all about himself. That is not what this primary is about. Rather, it is about which candidate can better represent the values of the GOP in this upcoming election.

When harking back to how Trump handled his opponents in 2016, DeSantis should not be nervous about what is to come, but he should rather stay disciplined at all times and focus on policy and not personality. If Trump tries attacking DeSantis, the GOP voters should immediately bring Trump's poll numbers down, since this is not a boxing match. This is a serious profession that impacts millions, if not billions, of lives. In politics though, always expect the unexpected, and DeSantis will need to be ready for whatever comes his way. The first step is handling the dilemma facing the GOP when it comes to the 2020 election.

The political system has become so toxic, with many voters not even trusting the democratic process, and can you blame them? My opinion on the 2020 election is that Biden won more votes than Trump but not in a truly democratic manner. The media suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop story was an egregious example of the double standard the media possesses when it comes to covering presidential campaigns. In addition, due to the coronavirus, Trump's largest asset, which was economic strength, disappeared completely. This harkens back to the Expect the unexpected claim in regards to politics.

DeSantis will need to clarify his opinion on both January 6 and his view on the 2020 election. Trump will, of course, attack him on this issue, and this is likely where tension could occur between the two. However, saying what your opponent wants you to say to glorify his name would not be a good look for DeSantis. In fact, it would highlight weakness, and Trump will pounce at any opportunity that he gets.

So the question becomes how should DeSantis handle this topic? The reason why it matters is because this is a Republican primary and not a general election. Trump's election beliefs will carry further at this stage in the campaign as opposed to the final part of the campaign. DeSantis should highlight how thorough elections are covered in Florida. This is a factual statement since Florida was the fastest state to count votes and get to 99 percent in on election night 2022, and he should campaign on being the candidate who can bring election integrity back to America. You can only change the future; you cannot change the past, and DeSantis can improve election integrity in the United States.

When it comes to January 6, I believe that DeSantis should remind Americans that most supporters were peaceful protesters on that day. However, he must also condemn all future acts of violence on the Capitol and do everything possible to support our democracy. Likewise, on the 2020 election, he should acknowledge that Biden won but focus on how we can improve the system. Harkening on the 2020 election is the ticket to disaster because Trump may try to lure Ron into a hole that he cannot get out of. My advice, if this is the objective from Trump: say what you need to say, and then move on.

In terms of this election, the reason why I believe we are in a better position as a party is because of the GOP's growth with minority communities. This is imperative for future success in the Republican Party. Take Florida, for example. In 2016, Donald Trump lost the majority in Hispanic Miami–Dade County by nearly thirty percentage points. Fast-forward six years to the 2022 Florida gubernatorial election, and DeSantis won the county by double digits. Disappointingly, this did not translate throughout Hispanic communities across the country when it comes to such marginal improvements. However, the trend is improving nationwide in terms of percentage gains across Hispanic communities. The GOP was at a crisis, and nobody in the party expected this seismic outcome in Florida over the span of six years. In fact, what Ron DeSantis did was change Florida from a true battleground state into a low-stress Republican state for the 2024 election. Trump may have started the shift, but DeSantis solidified it.

It is not just Floridians who approve of the current political structure in their state. Florida was the fastest-growing state in 2022 according to censuses taken since 1957, due mostly in part to Americans from liberal states relocating to the Sunshine State. In comparison, the state where I am currently situated, which is California, has lost one hundred thousand people in 2022. This gives individuals a massive clue as to whether Americans want to live in high-tax, high-cost states or low-tax, low-cost states. By completely shaping the landscape of the third-largest US state in America and by being a welcoming state to millions of people, Florida is a model for future GOP success in large part due to DeSantis.

His success in Florida is attributed to putting people above politics and standing up for common sense by standing up for our children, opening his state's economy during COVID, and giving people freedom to live their lives. This is why the GOP needs him to run in this election and be not just a governor of one US state but the president of all fifty states. Solidifying DeSantis as our nominee is the sound choice to make since he has proven that not only can you produce results but also he can win. If Republicans elect Donald Trump, we risk losing this election and gifting Democrats another full four years in charge.

This Republican Primary could be the most consequential one in American history due in large part to the stark differences between the two candidates in terms of age and personality. Running against a Democrat is a much-different task than running against a fellow Republican. When the time will come for the two candidates to debate, expect a large audience to tune in.

Trump loves to call Republicans who disagree with him RINOs (Republicans in Name Only), and so far, it has worked out for him. Most Republicans who go against him end up getting squashed in the primary. In the 2016 primaries, every time Trump attacked an opponent and they attacked him back, their poll numbers went down. In fact, Trump has already used a degrading nickname for Ron DeSantis; it was Ron Desanctimonious. The interesting aspect of this attack nickname is that it makes no sense whatsoever. When you listen to Ron DeSantis give an interview, he does not conduct himself in a way in which he feels he is morally superior to everybody else. In fact, he uses the word we many times when explaining the policies enacted in Florida. The difference between the two is that Ron DeSantis makes his profession about the well-being of the people of Florida. Donald Trump makes everything about himself.

Sadly, some individuals believe that DeSantis should not run or will not run, but I believe he must be on that debate stage with Donald Trump standing right next to him. Clearly, the easy thing for DeSantis to do would be to wait until 2028, when you do not have to run against Donald Trump, but the correct route is not always the easiest route. DeSantis should finish up his gubernatorial term by enacting more positive policies in conjunction with the Florida legislature to strengthen his resume against Trump. The one area where he could improve is further protecting unborn babies' lives. Current Florida law states that abortion can be administered in the first fifteen weeks and after fifteen weeks if the mother's life is in danger. To put this in perspective, in Germany, which is socially to the left of the United States, abortions on request are permitted only in the first twelve weeks. Therefore, Florida's law is quite lenient when it comes to comparing it to certain nations with liberal political climates.

Trump will take credit for the reversal of Roe v. Wade, but when it comes to abortion, DeSantis can still strengthen his hand. Additionally, Trump made a fatal mistake when he attacked the pro-life community for not coming out to vote in the 2022 midterms. The trend that many individuals missed is that Republican candidates did very well in states where abortion was restricted except in the most severe cases, such as if the mother's health is at risk.

A big example of this was Texas. Republican governor Greg Abbott, in a state that was trending dangerously blue, was able to win his race over Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke by over ten percentage points. This should come as a massive sigh of relief to Republicans because the voters there proved that the Republican model still yields success in the Lone Star State. Another example is South Dakota. Republican Kristi Noem approved some of the strongest abortion restrictions in the entire nation. Her margin of victory in 2018 was 3.4 percent, and in November, she won by nearly 20 percent.

On the contrary, though, the GOP lost significant ground in key states that already had Democrat incumbents, such as Michigan and Pennsylvania. The year 2022 was really a status quo gubernatorial night for the most part. Therefore, if Trump were paying attention, the pro-life movement did show up to vote in the states that already had the most restrictive laws heading into the election. What is particularly fascinating is the lack of evangelical support that has come Trump's way thus far, considering he is the only declared major candidate in the field as of this writing. Trump knows this bloc is so critical in terms of securing the GOP nomination, and he won over 80 percent of white evangelical protestant voters in the 2020 election. However, Donald Trump's controversial style and personality may cause his most loyal base to abandon him if he attacks Americans of faith.

This is where DeSantis must take advantage of Trump's comments because the abortion issue could turn from a minus to a plus for DeSantis. What helps DeSantis is that Trump himself is not very socially conservative when comparing him to most other republican candidates. I say most, because most northeastern Republicans like Vermont governor Phil Scott, New Hampshire governor Chris Sununu, and Maine senator Susan Collins are more socially liberal than Trump. Making a solid abortion argument is important not only for the primary but also for the general election. Republican campaigns have gone down in flames due to undisciplined comments regarding this very sensitive topic. The way forward on abortion should be to appeal not