Interview: Thomas D. Howes of the Reagan Caucus

The new SuperPAC hopes to restore the Republican Party by supporting principled conservative candidates.

Today, I have a special interview with Thomas D. Howes. He’s involved with a new organization called the Reagan Caucus. The SuperPAC’s mission is to support and motivate “non-MAGA” conservatives and right-leaning moderates to become more active in Republican political primaries.

The larger goal is to re-shape the modern GOP behind the conservative ideas and principles that that party has stood behind, and advocated for, in the past. We’re talking about concepts like limited government, fiscal responsibility, personal integrity, the rule of law, peace-through-strength foreign policy, and respect for the U.S. Constitution.

I hope you all enjoy this interview, or at least find it informative.

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John Daly: Thank you for joining me, Thomas. As readers here know, I’m a longtime conservative and admirer of Ronald Reagan who’s been very frustrated with the direction of the Republican party for some time now. Suffice to say, your organization is speaking my language. Before we get into the Reagan Caucus, can you tell me a bit about your background, and how you came to be a conservative?

Thomas D. Howes: I grew up in a small town in the Midwest. My Dad was named after Ronald Reagan, the actor, in 1943. My oldest brother was a huge supporter of Reagan, and I always in some way embraced the conservative liberalism of Reagan —we never used the word liberalism like that before, but with the rise of the illiberal right and left, it is becoming more appropriate to say that Reagan wasn't just a conservative, but a conservative liberal and thus in the mainline tradition of American conservatism.

I went through a more libertarian phase in my early twenties, mostly in response to the Iraq War and the War on Terror, but I never let go of a realistic view of international affairs, recognizing the need for U.S. leadership and peace through strength. What has changed most in recent years for me is that although I remain a conservative in the mold of Reagan, I have become far more centrist in my approach, and this is in response to the dangerous polarization that has developed in recent years. I see it as critical that we approach politics with the long-term health of the political community in mind, looking as far as possible for solutions everyone can live with, making prudent compromises, and keeping faith in the power of persuasion to make changes that will be sustainable.

I want America to survive. I think it's the greatest country in the world. But to survive, we have to learn how to coexist with the part of the country that disagrees with us on some fundamental matters.

Daly: Over the last eight years or so, there’s been a number of start-up groups that have taken on a similar mission to your group’s. I think it’s because several of the old-establishment “think tank” groups, that used to take an active role in shaping the Republican platform around tested and proven principles (like the Club for Growth and Heritage), basically stopped doing it. At some point, I think they discovered that they couldn’t raise the money they needed to remain viable without rallying around Donald Trump, and essentially deferring to his whims (which are often antithetical to conservatism). Is that how you see things?

Howes: Definitely. I am most disappointed in Heritage. They aren't just rallying around Trump, but are heavily influenced by Viktor Orban in Hungary. They have been corrupted by the new funding, and they've jumped on board with a highly online Zeitgeist that will destroy their long-term credibility. I don't think they'll survive as an institution that is taken seriously by serious people. It's all very unfortunate. If I were one of their present or past scholars or researchers, I would be very upset with the leadership at this point.

Daly: Ronald Reagan was an extremely popular figure in U.S. politics, of course. In 1984, he won reelection in a 49-state landslide, which is something we’ll probably never see again. Much of what made him popular was America’s renewed strength and opportunity under his leadership. Still, what I think most people remember about Reagan was his optimism, his pride in our country, and his gifts as a communicator. He espoused kindness, persuaded people with his ideas, built enduring coalitions, and spoke of America as “a shining city on a hill.” You don’t see much of that in today’s Republican Party. Instead, we hear a lot of grievance, anger, and conspiracy theories, and the only real party-platform at this point seems to be loyalty to Donald Trump.

I suppose it all makes for engaging television and podcasts, but electorally, the GOP has lost a ton of winnable races over the last three cycles, because a lot of general-election voters don’t like what they see. Beyond the principles promoted by your group, how important do you think character, positive messaging, and bridge-building is to the long-term viability of the Republican Party?

Howes: Well, we hope we can make a mark. Right now, we're building our list of people who share our values and pledge to attend GOP primaries. That way we hope to change the shape of the GOP primary electorate. This will make it easier for principled Reaganite candidates to gain the nomination. Another plus is that our types of candidates, seen these days as "center-right" (as is Reagan), do much better in general elections than MAGA candidates. The median voter these days looks like a supporter of Nikki Haley, Mitt Romney, or Larry Hogan. 

Daly: According to the Reagan Caucus website, only about 10% of eligible voters participate in GOP presidential primaries. That would seem to be a big part of the problem. Lots of people are busy with their careers, families, and activities, and they just aren’t as engaged in politics as the hardcore political junkies (the types of people who consume hours and hours of cable-news, talk-radio, and political podcasts). Those who don’t live for politics don’t show up for the primaries, and may even think their vote wouldn’t matter if they did. Thus, you end up with a tiny portion of the electorate deciding which candidate is just one election away from taking high-office, and in some cases becoming the leader of the free world. How does the Reagan Caucus plan to get voters, who aren’t happy with the candidates the GOP has been producing, out to the primaries?

Howes: You nailed it. That's the issue. We have an impressive team of volunteers, including experts in polling, data, and AI. We look to use all those tools to target people we think will most likely endorse our values. We are rebuilding our website and will begin taking donations soon. We also hope to use some of that money to use various forms of media to educate and promote our mission and values to new people. We believe those people are out there. It's just a matter of finding them and convincing them to join our effort.

Daly: I assume the Reagan Caucus plans on endorsing specific Republican candidates? Or maybe providing scorecards to voters showing which candidates share the principles the Reagan Caucus endorses?

Howes: So, we don't want endorsements to be a big part of what we do, but more, like you said, something similar to scorecards, where we give the people on our pledge list information so that they can make an informed decision. The main part of our mission, however, is to reshape the primary electorate by simply getting the people who share our values to reliably show up. 

Daly: Thomas, thank you very much for joining me, and talking about your group. Readers can learn more about the Reagan Caucus here. Anything else you’d like to add, in closing?

Howes: Thank you so much for the interview. I appreciate that you took the time to look into what we're doing and to set this up. To your readers, they can see our vision, mission, and values, at our website. On the main page, if you scroll down you can also take our pledge to reliably vote in GOP primaries for principled candidates. This pledge gives us all an opportunity to band together in solidarity and we'll use it to mobilize our people to participate in primaries, starting in 2026 and 2028. 

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Have thoughts on the Reagan Caucus and the group’s mission? Leave them in the comment section below.