“We are the party of putting America First, growing our economy and peace and prosperity,” Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake said.
The Republican Party has gone through a transformation over the years, from economic prosperity and a Cold War with the Soviet Union under former President Reagan, to post 9/11 legislation and conflict in Afghanistan and the Middle East under President George W. Bush, and now the “America First” populist movement under President Donald Trump.
The GOP took a populist turn with Trump in 2016 when the former president ran on issues such as bringing back manufacturing jobs from overseas and building a wall on the southern border.
“Conservative ideals are really American ideals,” Arizona GOP Senate candidate Kari Lake told Just the News. “I think we are growing that and the reason it [the GOP] is becoming a big tent and growing is because President Trump has found a way to connect with the American people and explain these problems.”
According to UVA Center for Politics, roughly nine million voters who voted for former President Obama in 2012 cast their vote for Trump in 2016.