‘Unafraid to Lose’

Anti-Trump conservatives consider their path forward despite bleak electoral prospects.

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This weekend’s Principles First Summit concluded the way it began: with the admission that anti-Trump Republican candidates likely will continue to lose elections for the foreseeable future. 

“It’s not about whether we win elections,” Principles First founder Heath Mayo told a crowd of Never Trump grassroots activists, pundits, and lawmakers Sunday evening at the National Press Club in downtown D.C. “It’s about it being the right thing to do.”

Mayo launched Principles First in 2019 alongside “a few Republicans concerned about the health of conservatism,” per the organization’s mission statement. Coalition organizers know that publicly criticizing former President Donald Trump comes at a cost, particularly at the ballot box. “Everyone in this room is unafraid,” Mayo told the audience Saturday morning. “Unafraid to lose.” 

But to grow their movement beyond the roughly 300 people who attended, volunteered, or spoke at this summit, Principles First-aligned Republicans know they’ll have to craft a message and policy agenda that resonates with a wide audience. To navigate this dynamic, Mayo rallied a slew of high profile anti-Trump Republican politicians, policy experts, and pundits to speak at this weekend’s conference, including Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a handful of Bulwark editors, and retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who testified during Trump’s first impeachment trial. 

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  1. Avatar photo
    Ben Connelly

    I find myself agreeing with Bill Kristol less and less these days but here I think he’s largely right.

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    C C Writer

    Very informative, thanks.

    Note: If a name or description of the subject of the photo actually appears prominently in the photo, as it does in this one, then I'm happy to give The Dispatch a pass on identifying it in the caption as well. But most of the time that's a big "if."

    And BTW: If the reason captions are being deliberately omitted from other newsletters is that you all want to see the satirical versions we come up with, I would support the following quid pro quo agreement: You include a serious caption, we'll give you some funny ones too. You fail to include a caption, we won't give you the benefit of our time and imagination, even if it means we won't get a chance to mock you for not caring about minimum journalistic standards in that area. Maybe this will put the incentives in the right place.

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  3. Avatar photo
    Saied

    To quote Albert Jay Nock
    Ah," the Lord said, "you do not get the point. There is a Remnant there that you know nothing about. They are obscure, unorganized, inarticulate, each one rubbing along as best he can. They need to be encouraged and braced up because when everything has gone completely to the dogs, they are the ones who will come back and build up a new society; and meanwhile, your preaching will reassure them and keep them hanging on. Your job is to take care of the Remnant, so be off now and set about it."

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    rlritt

    I judge Republicans by their support of Trump. I don't judge them because of Majorie t. Green. Congressmen are supported only by their small districts. I love my congressman. He's moderate, a lawyer, very smart, and he thinks we need to protect the environment. He's similar to constituents. Talib is supported by the people in her district because she looks like them. She does not represent the Democratic Party. She just speaks for her constituents. What's wrong with that? You know there are plenty of Republican knuckleheads.

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    rlritt

    I hope your right.

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    Ralph S

    Making noise about being principled is a good thing. Whether a new party is necessary does not seem clear. In AZ independents slightly outnumber Democrats while Republicans slightly outnumber independents. Trump support seems steady among independents (at least as far as I can tell). But is there a conservative alternative, as though Trump is conservative? He may be far from a leftist, but his lack of principles belie an agenda that is anything but conservative...or principled.
    We really need an electorate that values a working society over sheer domination and winning at all costs. I'm afraid a Democrat or Republican list of choices as they now stand is a lose-lose proposition.

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  7. Avatar photo
    Mike from Jersey

    The ["My Precious" Hatred of Trump] Bulwark are still Republican?

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      Synchronize Your Dogmas (Bill B)

      As opposed to the "my precious" Trump wing? I'd say so.

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    Charlie Hall

    I'm a Democrat. I would love for some of the anti Trump Republicans to become Democrats in order to chase out the Squad/DSA/Justice Democrats wing of the party.

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    1. Avatar photo
      rlritt

      There are 6 far left congressionmen/women. It's hardly takeover since they are new and get how things work and have got none of their demands met.

      I'm an independent, fiscally conservative, and socially liberal. I know a lot of people who are with me.

      It's the crazy people that keep popping up the news and vast number of so-called Americans who crave a post Soviet dictatorship headed by Trump in this country. That's much scarier than a few idealistic congresspeople pushing for free college and daycare. (Which they won't get)

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    Aylene Wright

    A little factual quibble here: the Principles First meeting taking place at the same time at CPAC isn't actually a coincidence. The whole event actually started in 2019 as a small, spontaneous gathering of people who were tired of the CPAC insanity. The more organized annual meetings have continued the tradition.

    And the original spirit of PF was more about bringing sanity back to conservatism, than merely being anti-Trump. It has certainly turned into that, though I do think the first goal is a more realistic one.

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  10. Brook

    I did not know about this group. Thanks for reporting on this. Put me in “the right thing to do” camp. There is a 0.00% chance I will ever again be a member of a party in which a person like McCarthy holds a leadership position. It may well be a hopeless prospect, but I am 100% for a new party.

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