In such a time as this, we are in desperate need of leadership in this country that holds biblical conviction. The Republican Party has been an abysmal failure to push back against the Cultural Marxism that has marched through the institutions. The magic “R” does nothing to ensure pushback beyond a mere sandbag in face of America’s decline. The Bible is full of stories of God raising up men and women to be in prominent positions of leadership among the pagans whether it be Moses, Daniel, or Esther. And in the system of government we live in, it is up to the universal body of believers to be utilized by God for this purpose.
So, how do we accomplish this? We do not do this through think tanks or glorified multimillion dollar blogs. I do not believe we necessarily need to create new organizations, as I think existing organizations can solve these issues, and I am more optimistic about the willingness of Christians to do so than before.
In partisan public office positions, it’s abundantly clear that the Democrat Party is irredeemably evil. Thus, it is an ineffective tool for us to utilize. The Republican Party is undoubtedly corrupt but has an existing base of voters that Christians can successfully utilize. If Christians can win primary cycles, in many cases, the general election is automatically secured. There are six steps that Christian to accomplish the goal of getting Christians into public office.
Identify Viable Opportunities
Perhaps one of the biggest strategic weaknesses of the conservative grassroots is their emphasis on nonviable races. Living in Maryland, I can assure you that Kim Klacik never stood a chance, yet she received an ample amount of funds and coverage that could have been spent on viable races. This emphasis did nothing to stem the fact that Maryland is trending blue. Personally, there is no purpose to devoting time and effort to a lost cause race, as anything other than a placeholder in the event the incumbent is arrested for child porn to close to the general election. The grassroots could see far more success if it focused more on viable races.
The most viable races are open seats in red districts. Overthrowing an incumbent is a longshot in a country that loves incumbent politicians. But open seats are easier. Because of this, they are highly competitive.
The next best opportunity is a Democrat in a precarious position. Some seats are subject to the pendulum of politics and wave elections. Occasionally, unpopular Republicans can be beaten, but it’s rare.
I speak from knowledge of national politics, but the more local the race, generally the more viable the opportunity if you are willing to put in the work.
Identify Viable Candidates
The packaging of a candidate is important, but the biggest concern should be their convictions and their competence to carry out their convictions. In this goal there are three things we should look for in our candidates:
- They are Christians – As the goal of this article is to help put Christians in public office, this is a prerequisite requirement.
- They are social conservatives – This is a somewhat redundant point, but if someone wants to combine Christianity with social justice like the And Campaign, they probably aren’t Christian in the first place. Moreover, if someone is like David French and believed that government should create a neutral playing field, that does not cut it either. If someone is afraid to ban abortion because that would be “legislating morality,” they lack the conviction necessary to be useful. I’m not saying only theonomists should run for office. But the data, look at any real scorecard, shows that the more socially conservative a representative is, the more fiscally conservative they are also. Biblical convictions transfer to all different areas of public policy, beyond abortion.
- They have the stomach for politics – Politics is a vocation. Not everyone is cut out for it. There’s an expectation that if a politician says they will defend the Second Amendment, they will not bend when a horrific shooting happens. When a politician says they support religious liberty or small businesses, they will not shut down businesses and churches over a bad cold. The stomach for politics is about not bending to the real or artificial pressures of politics. If a politician lacks this betrayal is imminent.
Recruit Viable Candidates
In the event that a Christian organization has considerable influence or is very well connected with a particular electorate, they can certainly recruit viable candidates. If you are recruiting for Congress, the Senate, or statewide ballot positions, the state legislatures are a good recruiting ground for people with records. Otherwise, influential businessmen or community leaders are great options. But we should be mindful of social media candidates. Most candidates who have a huge social media backing have failed to translate that into a ground game, even some good ones. Running a campaign, like being a politician, is also a skill.
Support the Candidates
It would be more profitable to set your money on fire or to invest in a Nigerian Prince than to donate it to a political party. At a national level the Republican Party tends to allocate funds to more viable races like Florida in 2018. However, they will also sack the type of candidates I am talking about supporting here (see Virginia 2013). Instead support candidates directly.
Get the Word Out
The number one factor in a primary is name recognition. That’s why incumbents win. That’s why Donald Trump stood out among a score of candidates. People need to know who these people are. The more local the race, the easier this will be.
Turn Out The Base
In many cases, winning the primary is the real battle. The Republican Party apparatus will do its thing. A competently run campaign will do its thing. Majority of partisan races are not competitive. However, the more local a race the more turnout is important. The numbers needed to swing a local election are in the hundreds or thousands as opposed to tens of thousands.
Final Thoughts
There may come a time when it will be impossible or unconscionable for a Christian to hold public office in this country. But now is not that time. It behooves us as citizens to participate and not despair in our situation. As I have written before, it is just as likely God is pushing America to the breaking point for a glorious Great Awakening that will give us no doubt that God saved America as it is God will destroy America. In either case, we have work to do.