The real lesson from Georgia: Voters still think for themselves

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For years, President Trump’s endorsement has been one of the most valuable assets in Republican politics. Candidates have built campaigns around it. Consultants have treated it like political gold. Journalists have often assumed that Trump’s backing was enough to make almost any candidate the favorite in almost any Republican primary.

That’s why Georgia’s recent Republican gubernatorial runoff attracted so much attention.

Trump endorsed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, one of the best-known Republicans in Georgia. He also had the backing of the state’s popular Republican incumbent governor, Brian Kemp. Yet businessman Rick Jackson stunned political observers by defeating Jones in the runoff anyway.

Many commentators immediately framed the result as evidence that Trump’s influence is fading. I see a different lesson — and a more encouraging one.

The real story is not that Trump is losing his grip on Republican voters, but that Republican voters showed they are still capable of making up their own minds. That is a good thing.

To be sure, Jones did not lose for no reason. Jackson spent heavily on the race, having the resources to introduce himself to voters. He also ran as a political outsider at a time when many voters remain skeptical of political establishments and career politicians. Some observers have argued that Jackson successfully tapped into the same outsider energy that has fueled Republican politics in the Trump era.

Those factors likely mattered. Voters were not simply rejecting Jones because Trump endorsed him. They were responding to a candidate who offered a different message and presented himself as a fresh face.

But that only reinforces the larger point. Trump remains the most influential figure in the Republican Party. His endorsement still matters. He continues to command enormous loyalty from millions of voters and remains the dominant voice in conservative politics. But influence and control are not the same thing.

A healthy political party is not one where voters automatically do whatever a political leader tells them to do. A healthy political party is one where voters listen, weigh the arguments and then make their own decision. That appears to be exactly what happened in Georgia.

Voters knew Trump wanted Jones to be governor. They considered that endorsement. Then they looked at the candidates themselves and decided Jackson was the better choice. Whether you or I agree with their decision is beside the point. The important thing is that voters exercised independent judgment. Conservatives should welcome that.

Conservatives spend a lot of time arguing that Americans should think for themselves. We tell people not to blindly trust government bureaucrats, media elites, university administrators or activist groups. We believe ordinary citizens are capable of making important decisions without being directed by powerful institutions. Why should politics be any different?

If conservatives trust voters to choose schools for their children, start businesses, manage their finances and run their communities, then we should also trust them to evaluate political candidates without blindly following endorsements. Endorsements should be recommendations, not commands.

The Georgia race also highlights something that is often forgotten in today’s hyper-nationalized political environment: State elections should be about state issues. Governors are not presidents. Their job is not to wage battles on cable news or dominate social media. Their job is to govern. Voters want to know who can manage a budget, attract businesses, improve public safety, maintain infrastructure and address the challenges facing their state. Those concerns don’t disappear simply because a national political figure enters the race.

Too often, every election is treated as a referendum on Trump. Support Trump, oppose Trump, love Trump or hate Trump. But many voters are focused on more practical questions. “Who can do the job?” “Who understands our state?” “Who offers a fresh approach?” Georgia Republicans appear to have asked those questions and reached their own conclusion.

This result also offers an important lesson about the future of the Republican Party. No political movement can long remain healthy if it depends entirely on one person. Trump transformed the party and remains its most influential leader. But every successful party must continue developing new candidates, new ideas and new voices.

Fresh faces should not be viewed as threats. They are evidence that a party is growing and renewing itself.

Republicans need governors, senators and local leaders who can build support based on their own records and ideas. More importantly, Republicans need voters who are willing to evaluate candidates for themselves. That doesn’t weaken the party. It strengthens it. Political leaders should persuade. Voters should decide.

Trump’s endorsement remains one of the most powerful forces in Republican politics. Georgia did not change that. What Georgia Republicans did show is that endorsements are not destiny.

David Sypher Jr. is a freelance writer and commentator based in New Jersey.

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