So, as a new independent voter (I had voted pretty much straight down the line republican prior to 2016), I have developed a new voting strategy that I began using this year. I plan to use this strategy going forward.
In a presidential year - I will vote for the most conservative candidate in the presidential race (in 2016, that meant voting 3rd party).
For Senate & House - I will look at who is president or who is likely to become president, and vote for the major opposition party candidate in order to place a check on the executive branch.
At the governor’s level and below - for the duration of Trump’s term, anyone who strongly supports or is endorsed by Trump is automatically disqualified from my vote. Outside of that, I will look for the most conservative candidate.
So there it is in a nutshell - my voting strategy going forward. What voting strategies does everyone else have?
My strategy is that as long as Trump is the head of the GOP and the GOP is beholden to him and acting with complicity in regards to his unethical and immoral behavior, I will not vote for a single candidate with an “R” behind their name at any level of government. Anyone willingly associating with that man and the party supporting him is undeserving of my lone vote.
What was your history prior to Trump, then? You once said in another thread you had experience working on some campaigns. You never mentioned to which party the people you worked for belonged.
I voted generally straight Republican in almost every election since I was of age. A few L’s and I’s along the way, and I had never cast a vote for a Democrat. The two campaigns I worked on were both for a GOP candidate.
I respect your decision wonderingrover, however, I had a conversation with my dad about voting third party.
I so so wanted to vote for Chris Powell, the libertarian candidate for Governor. However, he told me that it would only split the vote and work in the Democrats’ favor. Not only that, but he would face major backlash from both Republicans and Democrats in the state house and senate because he isn’t going to side with either one of them, which means he won’t be able to get any tax cuts, or any other legislation through because the legislature will vote against it in retribution. Because so many people have strayed from founding principles, a person who is truly principled won’t have a snowball’s chance in heck of passing any legislation.
Until the Libertarian party gets more recognition, and can stop the in-party fighting, then I am going to have to keep voting for the most conservative, small-govt. GOP candidate in the primaries, and vote Republican in the general. The Conservative party isn’t even on the ballot in my state.
If the most “conservative” candidate is chumming up to Trump, then that candidate is not a conservative, just another Republican. Therefore, not valid for @wonderingrover to pull the lever for.
Even in slow motion it says you will be voting for a Democrat Senator and Congressman and that means supporting Schumer and Pelosi. You cannot support Schumer and Pelosi and pretend to be conservative.
I specifically said I was looking for the opposition party to whomever is in the White House at the Congressional level. Ideology means nothing at all to me at the congressional level until the government starts working together.
I’ll vote for ideology in other offices. For now, until the executive / legislative branch gets a more balanced power structure, that is imminently more important to me than ideology.
Yes, that is the other factor. As the 2 major parties stands, there is no conservative party at present. There is a progressive party and a populist party. Those in the populist party tend to kiss up to Trump.
