In an election that was often described as a battle for the heart and soul of America, many of our citizens are exhausted, a little bleary-eyed and exasperated about what took place leading up to the first Tuesday of November.
If you are among those, on the political left or right, trying to understand what happened in the 2024 election, the answer can be found in a road trip from sea to shining sea. I am not talking about some nostalgic notion or a figurative, philosophical or cosmic adventure. I mean it. Get in a car, and drive.
Two days after the election, my wife Sue and I began driving, literally, “From the mountains, to the prairie, to the ocean to the ocean white with foam.” Despite snow, a closed freeway through the Rocky Mountains and the seemingly endless miles of fields of grain, this may have been the best way for me to understand the true heart and soul of the nation and prepare me for my service in the U.S. Senate.
As we drove through towns and cities it became ever more obvious to us what had happened in America on election night: The people had spoken.
Those is rural America and countless other places weren’t interested in having elite and economically out of touch A-list celebrities or even former presidents shame, scold or lecture them about how they should vote. They didn’t want to be told about government successes they hadn’t seen or strong economic numbers that weren’t helping them stretch their money all the way to the end of the month. Voters didn’t believe they should be happy with things as they are, content with the status quo or believe the notion that they should look down on those who dare to disagree.
A brilliant display of our nation’s diversity streamed past us in cars, vans and semi-trucks and appeared at rest stops, restaurants and motels. These amazing Americans had no time to argue or yell or scream about any of the manufactured Armageddon political predictions. They were in a hurry with a good bit of worry, because they had families to raise, neighbors to help and communities to strengthen.
Pulling into a gas station in Nebraska was indicative of many of the cities and towns we encountered along the way. There were pickup trucks filling up at each of the gas pumps with old-timers shaking their heads as the digital dollar display raced up. Young professionals raced in and out far more worried about the price of their energy drink than a green new deal. Young families popped in possibly wondering if buying the kids a treat for the drive would impact their ability to get bread and milk later. No one was talking about identity politics, culture wars, electric cars or anything relating to Congress or the presidency. There was no mention of Republicans or Democrats.
These citizens Sue and I encountered were worried about inflation, gas and housing prices, their neighbors who were struggling and how their children or grandchildren could possibly pursue their own version of the American dream.
It has been noted that every state in the union, with the possible exception of Washington, voted a little more Republican in 2024 than it had in 2020. This was likely in spite of, not because of where the Republican Party actually went, but because of where the American people actually are. This doesn’t represent a “spike the ball” victory moment for Republicans nor is it a rejection and total loss for Democrats — it is a teaching moment for every member of Congress.
The work we do and the work we don’t do in Washington is not theoretical to the people across this country, it carries real consequences. All of us in Washington, D.C. would do well to listen more, and maybe even just “shut up and drive” across the country to hear the voice of the people and see what American communities can teach us about leadership and good governing.
I am not much of a philosopher, but driving across America I admit I felt some of the excitement Alexis de Tocqueville did when he traveled our fledgling nation to discover the magic of America’s promise. In his introduction to “Democracy in America,” Tocqueville noted that the power of the American experience was to be found in the way citizens joined together in free association. Such communities and connection, he believed, could be the greatest power for good, to lift, ennoble and enlighten citizens of every economic class — not through coercion of government but through cooperation and good will. Sue and I saw that mile after mile, town after town, citizen after citizen.
Alexis De Tocqueville was right, “America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.” America’s success has never been based solely upon our government system of a constitutional republic. Our nation’s success has and always will be a byproduct of the goodness and greatness of the American people.
Our long drive ultimately came to a conclusion at the edge of the Potomac. While America’s capital can both figuratively and in reality be called a swamp, I love it and reverence all the possibilities it represents. I marvel that millions of people every year, from all around the world come to Washington and walk around this swamp in a kind of quiet awe while experiencing the familiar stirrings of freedom.
I believe in the greatness of this country, that the Constitution is an inspired document and that even on our worst day, everyone around the world still wants to be us. There are many in our nation who would like to tell elected officials from both political parties to take a hike. I suggest we take a drive instead — across this great land. The American people will lead, if we will listen to them, from sea to shining sea.
John R. Curtis represents Utah’s 3rd District. He was elected to the U.S. Senate on Nov. 5.
