The ideals of conservatism the Republican Party believes are changing. Reagan and Bush conservatism is now beginning to appear in our rearview mirror. Republicans in the 2016 Republican presidential primary proved it. The ideas of individual control of healthcare and protecting American interests abroad and promoting business through fair trade are becoming things of the past under Donald Trump’s Republican Party. The work conservative activists and leaders have done for decades is vanishing as a new brand of conservatism, approved by Republican voters, is being marketed by the greatest marketer in the world. So as a conservative Republican candidate moves on to the 2018 midterms and 2020 presidential election and all the following elections, what do Republicans and conservatives do?

I find myself wondering where conservatism is going. The party views are rapidly changing and becoming much more liberal or much to the far right. We’re taking in voters we assumed we never would have be able to get, and losing others whom we thought were safe, and now, those news voters assume future Republican nominees will be advocating for the same things Donald Trump is. These new voters love his anti-free trade talk. These new voters love his anti-immigrant talk. These new voters love his moderation of social issues. And they will now want every future Republican nominee to follow through with the same principals of Donald Trump. Unfortunately, most leading Republicans don’t. House Speaker Paul Ryan is one of the largest proponents of free trade. Senator Marco Rubio wants immigration reform for easier access to the American Dream. Governor Scott Walker has advocated for pro-life policies since his first day in the Wisconsin Governor’s Mansion. These are the conservative values started by Reagan in the 80s, and the one’s Republicans have ran on for the past 30 years. Trump is changing those values.

So considering that, conservatives have a choice: conform to the Trump ideology and his new brand of conservatism. Or stay with the Reagan conservative ideology. In the primary, 40 percent of Republicans voted to change our ideology. Sixty percent wanted to follow Reagan. This is a time for choosing for conservatism. If Republicans want to officially conform to "Trumpism," Republicans will vote for him in November in droves. If Trump wins in November, it’s safe to say Reagan conservatism is dead and the Trump brand will take over, and it will be the standard bearer for all Republicans running for elected office for potentially the next 30 years.