Date of Award

Spring 4-24-2024

Document Type

Honors Project

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Political Science and International Affairs

Department Chair or Program Director

Rosalyn Cooperman

First Advisor

Rosalyn Cooperman

Second Advisor

Jared McDonald

Major or Concentration

Political Science

Abstract

How do Republican candidates demonstrate their conservative identity to appeal to Republican primary voters? Recent scholarship finds that ascendant groups within the Republican Party have changed the party’s platform, moved to the extreme right, and redefined the American conservative identity. This paper hypothesizes that former President Donald Trump is advantaged in the 2024 Republican primary as the party’s standard bearer. Additionally, I hypothesize that former Governor Nikki Haley and Governor Ron DeSantis try to gain support from Republican voters by redefining what it means to be a Republican, and they use their appeal to Republican voters as alternatives to Trump and each other. By examining Haley and DeSantis’ campaign messaging these hypotheses are supported, indicating that the contemporary Republican identity continues to be defined by Trump’s brand of politics and reactionary conservative. These findings suggest that the Republican base is reluctant to move away from Trump and will continue towards the ideological right, but the Republican identity has the potential to change in the future.

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