• Home
  • Opinion
  • Quizzes
  • Redistricting
  • Sections
  • About Us
  • Voting
  • Events
  • Civic Ed
  • Campaign Finance
  • Directory
  • Election Dissection
  • Fact Check
  • Glossary
  • Independent Voter News
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Subscriptions
  • Log in
Leveraging Our Differences
  • news & opinion
    • Big Picture
      • Civic Ed
      • Ethics
      • Leadership
      • Leveraging big ideas
      • Media
    • Business & Democracy
      • Corporate Responsibility
      • Impact Investment
      • Innovation & Incubation
      • Small Businesses
      • Stakeholder Capitalism
    • Elections
      • Campaign Finance
      • Independent Voter News
      • Redistricting
      • Voting
    • Government
      • Balance of Power
      • Budgeting
      • Congress
      • Judicial
      • Local
      • State
      • White House
    • Justice
      • Accountability
      • Anti-corruption
      • Budget equity
    • Columns
      • Beyond Right and Left
      • Civic Soul
      • Congress at a Crossroads
      • Cross-Partisan Visions
      • Democracy Pie
      • Our Freedom
  • Pop Culture
      • American Heroes
      • Ask Joe
      • Celebrity News
      • Comedy
      • Dance, Theatre & Film
      • Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
      • Faithful & Mindful Living
      • Music, Poetry & Arts
      • Sports
      • Technology
      • Your Take
      • American Heroes
      • Ask Joe
      • Celebrity News
      • Comedy
      • Dance, Theatre & Film
      • Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
      • Faithful & Mindful Living
      • Music, Poetry & Arts
      • Sports
      • Technology
      • Your Take
  • events
  • About
      • Mission
      • Advisory Board
      • Staff
      • Contact Us
Sign Up
  1. Home>
  2. Newsletter>
  3. newsletter>

How some leaders on the right are fighting for a healthy democracy

The Fulcrum
April 19, 2022



Good morning

Center-right pushes back against election deniers

Evan McMullin

George Frey/Getty Images

There have been a number of news stories lately about the increasing number of election deniers who are running for secretary of state or other election administration positions this year. While these candidates are Trump-aligned Republicans, the pushback isn’t just coming from Democrats and independents.

The Fulcrum’s Faye Shen Li Thijssen recently spoke with Joel Searby, political director for the Renew America Movement, which was formed by current and former Republicans to build what they call a deep “pro-democracy” bench.

RAM says it will work with Republicans, Democrats and independents to strengthen democracy in the United States fighting extremism on all sides. The group’s boldface names include former Trump administration official Miles “Anonymous” Taylor, former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, attorney George Conway, and former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele.

“People who see the risks to our democracy right now are putting down a lot of their own personal preferences in order to build alliances to work against the most extreme elements of our parties, particularly on the Republican side,” Searby told Faye.

One possible path forward is the establishment of a viable third party. Evan McMullin, a former CIA operative who left the Republican Party and ran for president as an independent in 2016, is among RAM’s co-founders. He is attempting another run as an independent this year, challenging GOP Sen. Mike Lee in Utah.

“I see a lot of energy in the third way space, of people who want to see an entirely new way in our politics, not just trying to fix the two broken parties but thinking of new ways to creatively disrupt the system,” Searby said.

Read the full story, including what may be the biggest challenge for the movement. (Hint: It involves $$.)

And some further reading:

  • ‘Election integrity summits’ aim to fire up Trump activists over big lie (The Guardian)
  • Fighting Trump, Dems launch plan to elect thousands of local election supervisors (Politico)

Don’t miss out on America Talks – happening this week

Our nation is divided, making it near impossible to create solutions to our most pressing problems. But you can be part of the solution. Sign up for American Talks 2022 and join thousands of people for one-on-one and small-group video conversations to heal our partisan divide. The Fulcrum is a proud media partner for America Talks, because we can’t fix our democracy without coming together as one nation. The conversations are happening Thursday and Saturday. Register now!

Do you hear the people sing for Ukraine?

The pop culture section of The Fulcrum appeals to the human spirit – spirit that expresses the joys, sorrows and harmonies of the heart and soul. Culture is the quintessence of humanity’s expressive hope; the realm of endeavor in which our senses can be shared in family, community and country.

Music can inspire, and during this time of world human suffering music and politics have become entwined again as so often happens in crisis.

We are pleased to share several examples of how today’s artists from around the world are trying to save democracy one song at a time.

Stevie Nicks hopes Vladimir Putin never sleeps again

Rock icons Pink Floyd call on people to rise up for Ukraine

Do you hear the people sing?

The state of voting

Each week, the Voting Rights Lab recounts legislative activity in the states. Driving the latest update is movement on voter identification laws in Arizona and Missouri, as well as a series of changes in New York that make it easier for people to vote.

Read the full update.

Also in the news

Voters With Disabilities Face New Ballot Restrictions Ahead Of Midterms (Stateline)

Federal court looking into Ohio redistricting saga (WTOV9)

Without federal voting protections, many look to states as the ‘laboratories of democracy’ (Prism)

Politics Podcast: How Old Is Too Old For Elected Office? (FiveThirtyEight)

Upcoming events

Unify Challenge - Unify America - 4/19

Twitter Space on Dark Money - The Democracy Group and Campaign Legal Center - 4/20

America Talks - 4/21 and 4/23

The Role of Faith in Times of Crisis and War - Mediators Beyond Borders International - 4/21

newsletter

Want to write
for The Fulcrum?

If you have something to say about ways to protect or repair our American democracy, we want to hear from you.

Submit
Get some Leverage Sign up for The Fulcrum Newsletter
Follow
Contributors

Reform in 2023: Leadership worth celebrating

Layla Zaidane

Two technology balancing acts

Dave Anderson

Reform in 2023: It’s time for the civil rights community to embrace independent voters

Jeremy Gruber

Congress’ fix to presidential votes lights the way for broader election reform

Kevin Johnson

Democrats and Republicans want the status quo, but we need to move Forward

Christine Todd Whitman

Reform in 2023: Building a beacon of hope in Boston

Henry Santana
Jerren Chang
latest News

Your Take: Religious beliefs

Our Staff
13h

Remembering the four chaplains eighty years later

Rabbi Charles Savenor
13h

Podcast: Anti-racism: The pro-human approach

Our Staff
13h

Ron DeSantis and the rise of political racism

Lawrence Goldstone
02 February

Curriculum regulations and book bans: Modern day anti-literacy laws?

Katherine Kapustka
02 February

Podcast: 2024 Senate: Democrats have a lot of defending to do

Our Staff
02 February
Videos

Video: The dignity index

Our Staff

Video: The Supreme Court and originalism

Our Staff

Video: How the baby boom changed American politics

Our Staff

Video: What the speakership election tells us about the 118th Congress webinar

Our Staff

Video: We need more bipartisan commitment to democracy: Pennsylvania governor

Our Staff

Video: Meet the citizen activists championing primary reform

Our Staff
Podcasts

Podcast: Anti-racism: The pro-human approach

Our Staff
13h

Podcast: 2024 Senate: Democrats have a lot of defending to do

Our Staff
02 February

Podcast: Collage: The promise of Black History Month

Our Staff
01 February

Podcast: Separating news from noise

Our Staff
30 January
Recommended
Your Take: Religious beliefs

Your Take: Religious beliefs

Your Take
Remembering the four chaplains eighty years later

Remembering the four chaplains eighty years later

Civic Ed
Podcast: Anti-racism: The pro-human approach

Podcast: Anti-racism: The pro-human approach

Podcasts
Video: The dignity index

Video: The dignity index

Ron DeSantis and the rise of political racism

Ron DeSantis and the rise of political racism

Big Picture
Curriculum regulations and book bans: Modern day anti-literacy laws?

Curriculum regulations and book bans: Modern day anti-literacy laws?

Big Picture