November 2016 is more than a year away, but the Republican Party is already making the same fatal mistake it did in 2012.
The Grand Old Party’s search for its presidential candidate is like a clown car. Just when you think all the candidates have announced they are running, more candidates come bumbling out. We are in the double digits of people who have officially announced their candidacy. Last week saw the entrance of three more hopefuls: Dr. Ben Carson, Mike Huckabee and Carly Fiorina.
Sure, competition is healthy for our democracy. Hillary Clinton could use more, but the GOP definitely needs less. I say this because one can simply look at the weekly polls and see the weakness of the GOP. Polling this week may show Ted Cruz is in the lead, but last week it was Sen. Rand Paul or Marco Rubio. The party is heavily divided on which candidate should represent it.
This rise and fall of popularity in the polls is not only because of new candidates announcing their bids, but also because of the factions within the GOP. For the past eight years, the main goal of the Republicans was to be against whatever Barack Obama advocated. This united the party under one clear banner: defeat Obama.
But while this united the party almost four years ago, there is a little problem with the logic today: Obama cannot serve a third term or even run for one.
Clinton could be the next monolithic Democrat the GOP could rally the constituency against, but there is not much on her record to criticize other than multiple minor scandals.
As a result, it is clear there are different kinds of Republican candidates in this race. There are evangelical candidates, such as Mike Huckabee. There are also those that come from the more business- and job-oriented side of the party, like Fiorina. Then there is the more libertarian element, with Sen. Rand Paul as the main example. The final category would be the candidates who appeal to the other groups in the party but who take a less conservative stance once the general-election campaigning begins. These would be the Jeb Bushes and Marco Rubios of the world. All of these candidates must pander to the conservative constituency in the primary season while trying to become a centrist during the general election.
With all of these interests at play this primary cycle, the GOP is essentially trying to determine which portion of the party will represent it. This identity crisis will most likely continue long after the election cycle.
Although numerous choices for the political party’s candidate are beneficial — like I said, Clinton could use more competition — the Republicans are experiencing too much of a good thing.
The mass number of candidates will not only make these primary debates difficult, but they will also force Republicans to take even longer to determine their candidate.
Meanwhile, Clinton is already searching for her vice presidential candidate.
Kevin Foster is a UF political science senior.
[A version of this story ran on page 6 on 5/12/15]
