By Ian Lares-Chacin, Florida Federation of College Republicans
Young voters are an essential ingredient for winning elections. In the 2022 midterm elections, they had record turnout and a 2-to-1 advantage for Democrats. They tipped the scales toward Democrats and blunted the much-expected “red wave.”
Looking to 2024, Republicans have an emerging opportunity to win the youth vote. There are growing signs that young people are discontent with Democrats. In what’s likely to be a close election, this presents a clear opening for Republicans to address issues that young voters care about and earn their vote.
As chair of the Florida Federation of College Republicans, I see no clearer shot than on the topics of climate and the environment. These are issues that the GOP stands virtually only to gain on, winning votes without losing any. In the year ahead, the GOP ought to switch course and advance solutions inspired by our own conservative playbook.
In my own experience around the state, I have witnessed countless times how young people won’t even consider GOP candidates due to the perceived mainstream party position on this issue. Not only are young voters, including Republicans, much more likely to prioritize climate, but majorities of independent, moderate or even left-leaning voters would actually consider voting for a Republican if the candidate moved up the topic among their priorities. Further, in a new report from Tufts University about the 2024 election, the issue most linked to a young voter’s self-reported likelihood to vote is the climate challenge.
Without a clear stance on these issues, especially as environmental challenges worsen, the GOP risks losing a generation of voters. And in leading on these topics, they have next to no voters who will flip on them. This offers a rare opportunity in politics — an open shot on goal.
Republicans can offer an alternative to the big government approach that now characterizes this issue. The opposing party has successfully been advancing a sprawling agenda of federal mandates and spending, to the tune of billions of dollars. With GOP leadership, we could preempt the need for more costly, heavy-handed measures.
To turn the tide, we need fresh vision and leadership, and Florida Republicans are some of the best positioned to make this reality. There’s growing climate leadership among elected officials across the state, offering a blueprint that the GOP here — and nationwide — should build upon.
To name a few: Under the leadership of Gov. Ron DeSantis and South Florida lawmakers Rep. Danny Perez and Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez, Republicans recently delivered historic investments for Everglades restoration and the protection of our water resources. Our members of Congress, including Maria Salazar, Carlos Gimenez and Byron Donalds, have worked to enhance energy independence with clean solutions like next-gen nuclear. And our mayors too, notably Coral Gables’ Vince Lago and Miami’s Francis Suarez, have played a vital role in coastal resilience and infrastructure investment.
What would most strengthen the GOP on these topics is advancing a bold conservative solution for the core climate challenge. It ought to be wrought with conservatives’ core principles, harnessing the power of free markets and U.S. innovation, and putting America first.
One such solution is the Baker-Shultz plan, which was fashioned by esteemed Republican statesmen James Baker and George Shultz. It would cut regulations, unlock the innovative potential of the American economy with market signals and hold other nations accountable for their pollution. This would deliver much more environmental impact through private markets, a far cry from the government control measures currently being advanced.
Crucially, the plan’s international component would directly address foreign pollution. With a foreign pollution fee, which is gaining momentum in the U.S. Senate, the U.S. could push foreign producers to meet the same environmental standards as U.S. industry, which research shows is far cleaner, more carbon-efficient than China’s, Russia’s and other foreign polluters’. This approach would stop foreign nations from flooding our markets with cheap goods produced under lax standards, and boost “Made in America” production.
The Republican Party has a rare window. It ought to champion the conservative solutions that will safeguard our environment and economy, and in so doing deliver electoral wins up and down the ballot.
Ian Lares-Chacin, of Hialeah, is the chairman of the statewide Florida Federation of College Republicans. This opinion piece was originally published by the Sun Sentinel, which is a media partner of The Invading Sea. It is an updated version of a piece previously published on The Invading Sea: https://www.theinvadingsea.com/2023/11/01/florida-republicans-presidential-debate-climate-change-environmental-issues/.
If you are interested in submitting an opinion piece to The Invading Sea, email Editor Nathan Crabbe at ncrabbe@fau.edu. Sign up for The Invading Sea newsletter by visiting here.
