Republicans are Split Over the War in Ukraine: Does It Matter?
Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks to Iowa voters about Russian-Ukraine War. Source for photo: The Australian
Current Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is widely expected to run for President in 2024, received various diverging Republican reactions to his comments on the Russia-Ukraine war, highlighting foreign policy divisions in the Republican Party. In a statement made to Fox News host Tucker Carlson, DeSantis stated that “becoming further entangled in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia” is not a “vital” interest to the United States.
Yet, former Vice President Mike Pence had a different view of the Russia-Ukraine War. While speaking to a group of Republican voters in Iowa, Pence said in response to Gov. DeSantis’ comments that “the war in Ukraine is not a territorial dispute. It is a Russian invasion.” Pence’s statement demonstrates a clear disagreement with Gov. DeSantis’ position regarding the conflict.
Before the rise of former President Donald Trump, Pence’s position on the Russia-Ukraine War would have likely been the consensus of the Republican Party. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT), the Republican nominee for president just eleven years ago, is one of the leading Republican voices in support of Ukraine as he pushes for a new Russian response strategy in the Black Sea.
Characterized by its neoconservative foreign policy preferences, the Republican Party’s foreign policy positions have shifted dramatically since the election of Trump. The foreign policy of the Trump administration was largely focused on limiting American military and economic commitment abroad. Neoconservatism, however, in the foreign policy realm meant support for democracy-promotion efforts by the United States to improve civil liberties across the globe. International conflicts like the Iraq War, the Persian Gulf Coast War, and the U.S. War in Afghanistan are all examples of neoconservative foreign policy in action.
Today, it would be incorrect to say Pence and Romney’s adamance in supporting Ukraine is consistently shared throughout the Republican Party. According to an Axios/Ipsos poll released in Early March, only “42% of Republicans support providing weapons and financial support to Ukraine,” showing a significant lack of support for Ukraine within the Republican Party. Republican politicians seem much keener on focusing on issues closer to home.
These numbers are staggering when compared with Democratic and Independent views on Ukraine. The same poll found that providing weapons and financial support to Ukraine was supported by 79% of Democrats and 60% of Independents. Republicans have a far more lukewarm view of America’s aid to Ukraine.
Given that Republicans were the only group surveyed that lacked a majority in favor of military and financial support for Ukraine, it may appear on the surface this could be a deciding issue in the 2024 Republican Presidential Primary. Republican voters, however, seem far more concerned by other issues.
A CNN poll from the end of January found that only 1% of Americans cited the Russian-Ukraine War as the most important issue facing the country. Republicans further specified that immigration was their most pressing issue, followed by the state of the economy. Foreign policy was nowhere near the top of the list for the Republican voters surveyed.
It seems that while support for Ukraine is an issue that is isolating Republicans from the Democrats and Independents, it is not an issue that is going to decide the 2024 Republican Primary. Perhaps Republican’s relative disregard for the Russia-Ukraine war is a product of inflation and the Southern border taking up most of the media coverage in recent months; regardless, despite varying opinions on the Russia-Ukraine War, Republican voters will likely be more intrigued by candidates' positions on matters like inflation and immigration rather than the conflict.