Any hope for a center-right revival?
A group called 'Principles First' is trying to make it happen.
When we talk about the “center-right” of American politics, we need to be more specific, because the categories of the old ideological spectrum no longer apply. The old spectrum had to do with policy preferences. The new spectrum has to do with one’s temperament and one’s attitude toward American institutions.
People on the center-right want to govern responsibly. Some are extremely conservative on policy, while others are more moderate. What they have in common is a desire to preserve what’s good about American institutions. They don’t want to tear down our institutions or turn them into vehicles of retribution.
The cause of the center-right has seemed hopeless for years now. There have been heroic examples of principled leadership — think Rusty Bowers — but always isolated from the pack of loyal partisans willing to follow the energy of the Republican Party, no matter what.
In the wake of a populist revolt gone mad, the center-right has been discombobulated. They haven’t been organized enough to chart a different path.
That might be changing.
On February 23–25, a group of rational people will gather in Washington, D.C. to talk about old-school conservative principles like character, integrity, limited government, free enterprise, and the rule of law.
Principles First is a grassroots organization founded by lawyer Heath Mayo in 2019. The goal is to rally voters and politicians around the idea that there needs to be a limit to our partisan loyalties.
We are a nationwide grassroots movement of people who share a love of American democracy and concern for the direction of our existing conservative leadership. We’ve watched as institutions on the right have been hijacked or co-opted by bad-faith actors willing to put politics and personality over principle. And we’ve seen those in positions of leadership compromise themselves out of cynical self-interest.
We believe good-faith Americans deserve something better.
We’re building an alternative to the partisan doom-loop.
The group’s annual summits have been growing larger every year.
Last year’s gathering included a cross-partisan selection of Arizona politicians. Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, a Republican, was featured on a panel with Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, a Democrat, to talk about American elections. Clint Smith, a registered independent who ran a campaign for Congress against Andy Biggs in 2022, was featured on a panel to discuss the role of political parties.
This year’s lineup of speakers is still being announced, but it already includes major names in the center-right universe:
The Dispatch, a full-fledged center-right online newspaper, will be represented by co-founders Jonah Goldberg and Steve Hayes, along with editors Sarah Isgur, John McCormack, and Declan Garvey.
The Bulwark, a center-right publication with an edge to it, will be represented by Bill Kristol, Charlie Sykes, Mona Charen, Jonathan Last, and A.B. Stoddard.
Matthew Continetti, a historian and conservative writer who works at the American Enterprise Institute.
Former Republican office holders Asa Hutchinson, Adam Kinzinger, Alberto Gonzales, Michael Steele, Barbara Comstock, and Joe Walsh.
Current Republican officeholders Brad Raffensperger and Stephen Richer.
Sarah Longwell of the Republican Accountability Project
Judge J. Michael Luttig
The theme of this year’s summit is “Defending America’s Liberal Tradition.”
According to the Principles First Twitter account, over 400 people have registered and attendance is nearly booked at capacity.
The gathering is intended to be counterprogramming to CPAC — the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Heath Mayo wrote last year that the “C” in CPAC now stands for carnival. He thinks the conservative part of the conference has wasted away into a toxic sludge of whacky extremism:
CPAC says “America First” - but if you listen carefully, it doesn't like much about America. You'll hear how our businesses are too liberal, our schools are too woke, our military and intelligence agencies are too corrupt, our courts can't be trusted, our elections are rigged, our Constitution isn't working - and, once they catch their breath, they'll tell you America isn't strong enough to survive even another year if you don't elect their guy so government can step in and fix everything. “Look to Hungary!” they say, where Viktor Orban's government shutters radio stations critical of the state and attacks minorities.
CPAC this year will include Matt Gaetz, the Republican flamethrower who ousted Speaker McCarthy for the sin of making a necessary compromise to fund the government; Kari Lake, the Arizona figure who is running for Senate in 2024 while still claiming to have won her failed bid for Governor in 2022; and Steve Bannon, the revolutionary podcaster who eggs on the worst instincts of the far-right.
Serious people still show up to speak at CPAC, but the spirit of the conference is now fully submerged in performative anger and menacing rhetoric.
What is the future of the center-right? Is there any hope of influencing either major party? Could an independent party rise out of the ashes of our scorched earth politics?
This is an uphill, long-term project, at a time when the country is highly polarized, and the stakes feel urgent.
In the short-term, Heath Mayo believes there are already enough disaffected conservative voters out there to sway elections in swing states. Democrats in Arizona seem to recognize this, which is why they have courted “McCain Republicans” for the last few election cycles.
The criticism of the center-right (from the perspective of partisan Republicans) is that they are naive to the dangers of the Democratic Party. The viewpoint of many on the right is that left-wing extremists are on the verge of cultural and political domination, and this is no time for niceties or nostalgic ideals.
Another line of criticism is that the center-right includes some of the same people who were targets of the populist revolt — the “neocons” whose hubris led to the mistakes of the Iraq War.
It’s unclear how large the center-right coalition can grow.
But one thing is clear: the current path of partisan brinkmanship is unsustainable. If we continue to spiral into dysfunction and chaos, it’s only a matter of time before the system breaks, and nobody will enjoy what happens next.
In November 2024, we are likely to face a binary choice between an unpopular 81-year-old incumbent president and an unhinged 78-year-old former president.
What kind of politics will emerge for the next generation?
We desperately need a new path — a path in which rational people can win office and govern pragmatically.
Principles First is working to chart this path.
A glimmer of hope for those in the wilderness.
Good to know they are working to bringing back sanity to the Republican Party. I’ve missed these people. Please, we need a two party system that works together and compromises. We have far too many serious problems in this country and around the world to be in such disarray. Far too many to count.
What a great read. Thanks.