Has the GOP's culture war been for naught?
If culture war fodder doesn't win voters, where do Republicans go next?
![GOP logo holding protest sign](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jjQQsC5QGfiiZscUpPwV7S-415-80.jpg)
Republican lawmakers have become increasingly focused on waging conservative culture wars. Over the past year, the GOP has racked up several wins surrounding issues such as abortion care and reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, and parents' rights over school curriculums.
After the revocation of Roe v. Wade, several red-state legislatures have been able to pass more restrictive abortion bans. Last month, Republicans successfully passed a law restricting drag performances on public property in Tennessee, and others are taking aim at gender-affirming care for transgender youth. Conservatives have also turned their sights to public school classrooms, universities, and public libraries. GOP-run states are passing widespread book bans, lambasting critical race theory, and placing restrictions on what sports trans students are allowed to play.
Legislative wins aside, some question whether Republicans' cultural crusade will work for them in the long run, as many of their measures appear unpopular among the general public. For instance, since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, polls show "public opinion on abortion in the U.S. has moved sharply leftward," Intelligencer wrote. Are Republicans out of touch?
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What are the commentators saying?
Republican culture war rhetoric has flopped in school board elections, where "candidates who ran culture-war campaigns flamed out," Juan Perez Jr. writes for Politico. The outcomes have "major implications for 2024" and should also "serve as a renewed warning to Republican presidential hopefuls like Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis," Perez adds. "General election voters are less interested in crusades against critical race theory and transgender students than they are in funding schools and ensuring they are safe."
Ryan Girdusky, the founder of the conservative political action committee 1776 Project, defended the performance of the school board candidates he endorsed, telling Politico that they "didn't get obliterated." Still, he warns conservative candidates against assuming "that a blanket message on critical race theory or transgender issues is going to claim every district," and advised that they "don't tell parents something is happening if it's not happening, because then it doesn't look like you're running a serious operation."
The controversies over abortion restrictions, book banning, and similar cultural measures "reveal how much politics has become an intergenerational battle, with older traditionalists against younger progressives," David Hopkins opines at Bloomberg. Social issues that "divide voters along generational lines have become more central to the nation's political debates," Hopkins adds. He finds it "hard to imagine" that the GOP can successfully sway more young voters "by treating young adults' political views with contempt or characterizing them as gullible victims of liberal brainwashing."
As Republican presidential hopefuls prepare for 2024, "the fact that one cannot win a GOP primary without titillating culture-war addicts is undermining the party's prospects for winning the next general election," Eric Levitz comments in Intelligencer. Republicans fare better when they focus on economic concerns, Levitz adds, and each day "that the GOP's 2024 hopefuls display more concern with 'Marxist' educators than with high prices brings Joe Biden one step closer to re-election."
What's next for the GOP?
After a lukewarm performance in the midterms, Republicans are shifting their focus to who will represent them in the 2024 presidential race. Top possible GOP contenders for the White House "are increasingly focused on battles around LGBTQ issues and education," ABC News writes, "a dynamic that political operatives say is likely only to intensify in the lead up to next year's election."
One issue that has garnered a lot of attention among the prospective primary contenders is transgender rights. After the Supreme Court codified same-sex marriage, The New York Times says, "social conservatives were set adrift." Attempts to curtail transgender rights have "reinvigorated a network of conservative groups, increased fund-raising and set the agenda in school boards and state legislatures." the Times adds. Next year's election "appears poised to provide a national test of the reach of this issue." After some blamed the midterm losses on the focus on social issues, "it may prove easier for Republicans … to talk about transgender issues than about abortion, an issue that has been a mainstay of the conservative movement."
"For many religious and political conservatives, the same-sex marriage issue has been largely decided — and for the American public, absolutely," Kelsy Burke, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, told the Times. "That's not true when it comes to these transgender issues. Americans are much more divided, and this is an issue that can gain a lot more traction."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Theara Coleman has worked as a staff writer at The Week since September 2022. She frequently writes about technology, education, literature and general news. She was previously a contributing writer and assistant editor at Honeysuckle Magazine, where she covered racial politics and cannabis industry news.
-
Paloma recipe: the cocktail of the summer
The Week Recommends This refreshing drink balances the fresh and fizzy taste of grapefruit soda with a subtle flavour of smooth tequila
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Mushroom edibles are tripping up users
the explainer The psychedelics can sometimes have questionable components
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Prisons are simply not prepared for extreme heat
Under the radar Inmates are at severe risk of heat-related illness
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Harris clinches Democratic support, raises $81M
Speed Read President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid and endorsed her as his replacement
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
The convention speakers whose political stars rose
The Explainer Why you're likely to see the future leaders of the Democratic and Republican Parties at the conventions
By David Faris Published
-
The attack on Donald Trump
Opinion We've seen this kind of shooter before
By Susan Caskie Published
-
How Biden's enablers may have delayed his bowing out
Talking Points Joe Biden's inner circle faces calls for a reckoning for allegedly shielding the president — and the public — from questions of aging and electoral viability
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Biden ends reelection bid, endorses Harris
Speed Read The sitting president gave his VP full support to replace him atop the Democratic ticket
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden tests positive for Covid in fresh blow to campaign
Speed Read The president said he would consider dropping out of the race if presented with a "medical condition"
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
The Democrats 'resigned to a second Trump presidency'
Talking Points Did the assassination attempt end Biden's election chances?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Trump taps Ohio Sen. JD Vance as VP pick
Speed Read Vance, who once called Trump "America's Hitler," is now among his most vocal defenders
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published