Down Ballot Republicans - Will They Stick with Trump or Will the Party Fracture?

 Tampa Bay, Fl                                    

Opinion by: E. Eugene Webb PhD

Downballot races have never been more important than they are in this presidential election. Here's a definition of down ballot and down ticket from Merriam-Webster:

Downballot and downticket are two new words that describe running or voting for offices listed below the most important—typically national—race on a ballot. For instance, in a presidential election, Senate and House seats and contests for state and local offices are downballot (or downticket) because their outcomes are often influenced by the turnout for the presidential race at the top of the ballot. Merriam-Webster. 

If you are following the campaign rhetoric so far in this presidential race, you will notice that The Republican candidates running for the US house, the US Senate, State and Local Offices have been strangely quiet in their comments regarding the presidential race.

While state and local offices are not all that important to the President, the status of the House and Senate are key to moving substantial legislative agendas forward. For example, if Biden and the Democrats win the House, the Senate, and the Presidency, the ability to move forward a left-leaning socialist agenda would be almost assured.

Trump, on the other hand, will most likely face an immediate impeachment proceeding should he win the Presidency and lose both the House and the Senate.

It's starting to look like they're going to be three national races in this Presidential election. The Democrats trying to get Biden and their down ticket US House and Senate candidates elected,  the Trumpicans trying to get President Trump reelected,  and the Republican Party trying desperately to get their US House and Senate, Governors and state legislative candidates elected.

All of this may be very confusing to the voter. As the media campaigns heat up it may not be clear which National Party is supporting what. The one thing for certain is this no voter regardless of party, Democrat or Republican, should just step up and vote a straight party ticket. If you are a Democrat that may be tempting. However, you need to think about the impact of a national government completely controlled by a left-leaning political party.

On the Republican side, as a voter you need to carefully consider the ballot, vote every race, and even if you're so dissatisfied with Trump you're not going to vote for him for president; you need to be sure to vote down ballot for the Republican candidates for no reason other than keeping the balance of power in place.

The framers of the Constitution deliberately set up our government with conflicting houses of government and conflicting political parties to ensure a balance of power, negotiation of issues, and compromise in solutions.

A lot of people these days are frustrated with our form of democracy. But now is no time to start down the path of replacing capitalism with socialism and democracy with anarchy.

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