I want Harris to win, but the Democrats still have problems if she is elected

Let me be clear at the outset. I want Vice President Kamala Harris to win. I've spent most of the last two to three months on the ground in one battleground state after another encouraging independents and Republicans to vote for them. I am part of the Republicans for Harris initiative. And the main reason I want Harris to win is because former President Donald Trump is completely unfit to hold office. The man who refused to recognize the 2020 election, who has indicated that he will refuse to recognize that election if he loses, is a danger to this country and should never sit in the Oval Office again.

By making Harris much more central to politics, it has made my job of getting Republicans to vote for her much easier. But when it comes to the health and viability of these two political parties, I worry about the negative impact a victory would have on each party. Sound confusing? Let me explain.

The Democratic Party has real problems that have not been addressed in some time, and a Harris victory would be the only excuse party leaders need to continue ignoring these ongoing problems. When the Republicans became an anti-democratic, authoritarian sect, the Democrats could simply point at the others and say, “Look, they're burning down our house, they're attacking our democracy, vote for us.” We’re normal.” And it generally worked. The perceived threat from MAGA Republicans has helped Democrats achieve better-than-expected results in 2018, 2020 and 2022 — and could help them win again on Tuesday.

However, this victory may not be a big deal for the Democratic Party's long-term prospects. Democrats have lost touch with the American working class, regardless of race. They have become the party of the wealthy, educated elite. This is an anecdote, of course, but if I had a dollar for every conversation I've had over the last five or six years with a normal working-class man or woman who told me some variation of “Joe, I know that Trump that's I'm an asshole, I know MAGA can be pretty crazy, but Democrats are elitists who don't understand me and look down on me” – I would be a wealthy guy.

The Democratic Party has shifted left and is increasingly driven by “woke” social issues that prioritize identity while deemphasizing issues that matter to working-class voters of all races and ethnicities, such as crime, inflation and the border. This condescension to so many voters who are out of touch with the coastal elites in academia and media provided the opening Trump needed eight years ago. He spoke directly to these people. Sure, Trump is a demagogue and he lies to these people and tries to scare them, but they feel like Trump is at least listening to them, unlike the Democrats.

A Harris victory would be a victory for the country — and could be the final curtain call on Trump's unlikely and historically destructive political career. But it would also give Democrats all the excuses they need not to do serious research into why this race was so close.

Imagine this: Would Harris win on Tuesday if the Republican nominee was anyone other than Donald Trump? If Harris loses, the party would have no choice but to look inward and wonder how this man could have beaten his candidate in two of the last three elections. Finally there would be a real, honest, difficult assessment of the party's problems. It would be painful and take several years. But at least it would happen. And it could help the party correct its course.

Assessing a Trump victory for the Republican Party is much easier. My greatest concern for the Republican Party is that a Trump victory will mean the absolute end of my former party. MAGA, Trump and Trumpism will be fully vindicated and there will be no return to a party of freedom, free markets, free trade and limited government. The MAGA party – an authoritarian, intolerant, hyper-nationalist, big-government party – is here to stay. Young Republican candidates will all represent this MAGA ideology. If Trump wins, the GOP is MAGA forever.

Yes, our country comes first. Our democracy comes first. That's why Trump must lose and Harris must win. But both of our major political parties have big problems. If Harris wins, the Democratic Party's problems are likely to get worse. If Trump wins, the Republican Party will be lost to MAGA forever and the United States will no longer have a true conservative party – just a liberal party and an authoritarian cult of personality.