The Changing Face of the Republican Party

By Mike Dingman
Alaska Standard Contributor

Stereotypes abound about everything and most are generally based in at least an ounce of truth. One stereotype about the Republican Party is that its composition is of old, well-to-do white men. The old joke says that if you are a Republican in your 20’s you are heartless and if you are a Democrat in your 30’s then you are stupid. More and more, however, we are seeing a change in those demographics.

During the Campus Kickoff event at UAA this year, that stereotype was put on its head. College aged men and women swarmed the College Republicans booth; in sharp contrast to the seemingly abandoned College Democrats booth. There were so many beautiful young women handing out College Republicans material that it prompted people to complain that the College Republican leadership had hired them; this was not the case however, they are all members of the UAA College Republicans.

The assumption that the College Republicans had to hire the beautiful young women that were surrounding their booth on Campus Kickoff day shows the level of fear and denial surrounding the left in regards to the changing demographic in the two parties. The fact that young Americans are cognizant of the fact that they are better left to their own devices rather than led by the hand of an overly obtrusive government is frightening to those that would like to see government be more involved in every aspect of your life.

It is a change that is being seen nationwide. More young people are joining the ranks of the Republican Party. According to exit polls conducted by Voter Research and Surveys network as reported in the Washington Post, when Regan changed the face of the Republican Party in 1980 winning over Blue Dog Democrats or “Reagan Republicans”, 27% of voters between the ages of 18 and 29 self-identified as Republicans. By 2002 that number was up to 39%. The number rose steadily in that age bracket over those two decades.

I believe more young college educated students are finding that with hard work and a capitalist system there is no cap to their future success. Government can only stand in the way of that bright future. As Thomas Hobbes so brilliantly taught us a few hudred years ago in the Leviathan, we are born with unlimited natural rights. Hobbes stated “every man has a right to everything”. In order to live peacefully in society, we surrender some of those rights to government. For this reason, it is incumbent upon our elected officials to ensure that we are surrendering only those rights which are absolutely necessary to ensure a secure and stable society.

This change in the demographic of the Republican Party is encouraging. We are seeing that change in those running for office on a local level. Young leaders such as Andy Clary, Jason Cline, and Adam Trombley are leading a youth movement that could completely change the face of government. These young leaders exhibit traits such as fiscal restraint and an understanding that good government is a small and unobtrusive government.

It is a welcoming sight in this age of bloated government spending and nanny-state lawmaking to see such an energized base of young Americans fighting the cause of conservatism. Let’s support these young men and women. Write a check to Clary, Trombley and Cline. Call them up and volunteer on their campaigns, wear a button, put a sign in your yard, wave signs on election day, make phone calls, and most importantly, support them at the polls on Election Day.