Justin Haskins, author of “Socialism Is Evil: The Moral Case Against Marx’s Radical Dream,” thinks there are a number of factors that could help President Donald Trump win Minnesota in 2020, but none are more significant than the Democratic Party’s embrace of socialism.
“There’s another great reason to believe Trump has a good shot of winning Minnesota: Democrats are increasingly moving away from the policies swing voters in the state have long valued in favor of radical progressivism and even socialism. Democrats have moved so far to the left during the current election cycle that it’s becoming difficult to tell the difference between their party’s platform and the platform of the Democratic Socialists of America,” writes Haskins, executive editor and research fellow at The Heartland Institute, in a recent op-ed for Fox News.
He points out that “it’s unlikely” a candidate similar to 2016’s Gary Johnson or Evan McMullin will receive the same level of support in 2020, which “means Trump should have a better shot in Minnesota than he did in 2016.”
“Trump also dramatically outperformed other Republicans running for statewide offices in 2012, 2014, and 2016,” he adds.
But the fact that “Democrats no longer represent the party of John F. Kennedy or Bill Clinton” will hurt them the most in 2020, Haskins thinks.
“If Minnesota’s more moderate Democrats realize that, it could mean huge trouble for whomever the party’s left-wing base chooses to face off against Trump. And there’s a great reason to believe they will take notice thanks in part to freshman Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar,” he writes.
Haskins doesn’t hold back when criticizing Omar. He says, for instance, that to call her first term “absolutely disastrous” would be “an understatement.”
“Not only has she been plagued by questions about potential violations of campaign finance rules and immigration laws and remarks some have deemed to be anti-Semitic, she has also routinely advocated for some of the most radical, socialistic policies offered in decades — including ‘Medicare-for-All,’ the ‘cancellation’ of all student loan debt, and the craziest proposal of all: the Green New Deal,” he continues.
Haskins writes that such “radical policies” combined with “Omar’s far-left views on immigration and her close relationship with socialists like Ocasio-Cortez, have led to a dramatic decline in her popularity nationally and among swing voters, the very people likely to decide the 2020 race in Minnesota and the rest of the Midwest.”
He acknowledges that Democrats will point to preliminary polls showing Trump’s low approval rating among Minnesotans as evidence that he’ll lose the state, but reminds his readers that these “pollsters performed terribly in 2016 in the Midwest.”
“If Trump can paint the 2020 election as a choice between his economic achievements — Minnesota now has the 14th best unemployment rate in the nation — and the radical socialism of Ilhan Omar, it’s very possible Democrats could be in for another very rough election night,” Haskins concludes.
His full article at Fox News can be read here.
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News, The Ohio Star, and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Justin Haskins” by Justin Haskins. Background Photo “Trump Rally-Minnesota” by Epoch Times. CC BY 2.0.
