Three takeaways from ‘A Republican Reset’ with Rep. Will Hurd
Former U.S. Rep. Will Hurd has some advice for his Republican colleagues: Engage with the voters, take sensible and collaborative stands on the issues and tell your friends to vote in the primary.
Former U.S. Rep. Will Hurd has some advice for his Republican colleagues: Engage with the voters, take sensible and collaborative stands on the issues and tell your friends to vote in the primary.
He believes the Republican Party is primed and ready for a reset, as he wrote in his 2022 book American Reboot: An Idealist’s Guide to Getting Big Things Done and as he said at his appearance Tuesday at the Crosscut Ideas Festival.
He offered advice on how to re-engage with voters and move past former president and current candidate Donald Trump. One idea: Be more like our current president, Joe Biden, whom Hurd said does a good job of engaging in dialog and meaningful debate, unlike his predecessor.
The party isn’t going to engage younger voters, women in the suburbs and people of color, Hurd said, if Republicans aren’t open to talking about and developing meaningful stands on sometimes contentious issues like immigration, transgender rights and the environment.
He warned that meaningful engagement takes time and effort — as well as an open mind. And, he added, don’t be racist, don’t be a homophobe, don’t be misogynist, don’t be nasty.
People want to vote for people who are nice and have good ideas. “We should expect that from our elected officials,” he said.
And be part of choosing the candidates by voting in primaries, Hurd said. The best selection is in the primary, and most voters do not participate. He believes the Republican Party can get over Trump by voting in large numbers in primary elections.