Huntsman: Big GOP Man On Campus

Today I described “College Republicanism” for Students For Liberty.

Which Republican Party policies do college students (as a segment of young voters) specifically like and dislike?  To find out, my organization (RK Research) has so far surveyed 1, 000 students at colleges throughout the country and tabulated their entries on 25 different policy issues.  The results – available here – are not complete but they begin to paint a picture of what “College Republicanism” looks like:

1)    College students don’t hate everything about the Republican Party. Especially in the free response section, respondents expressed approval of the party’s position on national security and its notions of limited government, economic liberty, and pro-entrepreneurial policies.

2)    It’s the economy stupid. General unemployment is 9.1 percent.  The unemployment rate for those less than 25 years old is 19 percent (or higher in some polls).  Understandably, college students are worried about their job prospects, and they rate the issue highly important.  The party that reclaims the mantle of economic competence will make major gains with college voters.  More on this topic:  “CNN Debate: Young Voters Win.”

3)    Opposition to gay marriage is a losing issue.  Although gay rights ranked low in importance for the average student, it ranked very important for some students, and almost all students ranked the Republican Party’s performance on gay rights as terrible, worst or second-to-worst of the 25 issues presented.  This data is consistent with reports from Pew, CIRCLE, and other polling organizations that have found that young people are far more accepting of gay marriage than older generations.  More on this topic: “Gay marriage issue poses long term challenge for GOP.”

4)    The environment matters.  Respondents rated both “environment” and “energy” to be of high importance.  If the Republican Party is to win college students, it can no longer casually dismiss these issues, treat them as unimportant, or deny their existence.  Climate change and energy scarcity must be addressed – but they can be addressed in a pro-market Republican-friendly way.

5)    Education.  Education policy at both the college level and the university level is of great importance to young voters.  In the free response section, many voters cited “No Child Left Behind” as one the least-liked issues of the Republican Party.  Conversely, many respondents noted “increased school choice” as a Republican policy strength.  Republicans need to codify an education policy consistent with its principles and then ensure that it is competently administered.

6)    Health Care.  Many students cited Republican opposition to federal health care reform – “Obamacare” – as a top Republican issue.  However, this does not carry the day.  Health care is so important to college students (and to all voters) that the Republicans need develop a cogent plan that voters can understand and rally behind.  No college student wrote about health care in terms of what the Republican Party offered, only what the Republican Party opposed.

If you try to match these six characteristics to a Republican candidate, the best fit, by far, is Jon Huntsman.  To go down the list:

1) Issue priority.  Huntsman’s campaign will revolve around the economy, China, and national security – the issues where college students trust the Republican Party.

2) Economy.  Huntsman is a true fiscal conservative responsible for massive tax cuts in Utah, managing the Utah budget, and winning business environment awards from Forbes;

3) Gay rights.  Huntsman is a social moderate who has long supported civil unions for gays;

4) Environment. Huntsman cares greatly about the environment, but realizes it must be addressed in a business-friendly way, and he has learned that cap and trade is not the solution.

5) Education.  Huntsman has repeatedly said that school choice is a top priority and that the public school system must be injected with competition.

6) Healthcare.  As Governor, Huntsman made healthcare reform a priority, and he signed into law a health care system that allows Utahns to take defined contributions from their employers and buy coverage on their own. The Heritage Foundation called it the “blueprint for consumer focused health care reform.”

Add to this Huntsman’s youth, and his “coolness,” and you have the model candidate for College Republicanism.