I’ve compared the three platforms in play for this 2024 Presidential Election. I used the Republican National Committee (RNC) 2024 Platform, Project 2025 Mandate for Leadership, and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) 2024 Harris Platform on critical issues, (there are links to all three on the sidebar of this blog.) These high-level summaries will hopefully help you:
- Validate your commitment to your candidate.
- Discover what you want to learn more about.
- See how closely the RNC platform dovetails with Project 2025.
- Arm you with information you can use when someone is concerned about a specific issue.
Today’s comparison reveals each party’s priorities and approaches toward maintaining law and order, protecting individual rights, and supporting those who have served in the military. While the RNC platform outlines general conservative principles, Project 2025 delves deeper into specific strategies for implementing these ideas, particularly through restructuring government agencies and enhancing executive power. On the other hand, the DNC offers a vision centered on expanding rights and reforming institutions to ensure greater equity and justice. As you read through the table, consider how these differing approaches reflect the broader ideological goals of each party.
Similarities Between RNC and Project 2025
First, the RNC platform and Project 2025 are all about maintaining traditional values and ensuring strong law enforcement. They want the government to be tough and centralized, meaning more power at the top to enforce these rules. But Project 2025 goes even further. It’s like a blueprint for how they would reshape the federal government, especially the justice system, to make sure conservative values are enforced with little pushback. For example, they want the Department of Justice to be more directly controlled by the president, which aligns with the RNC’s broader goals but takes it to another level.
Voting Rights and Veterans
The RNC and DNC take very different approaches to voting. The RNC is focused on securing elections and supporting things like stricter voter ID laws. For example, in states like Georgia, the RNC has backed laws requiring photo IDs for absentee ballots, arguing that it prevents voter fraud.
On the other hand, the DNC wants to make voting as easy as possible. They propose ideas like automatic voter registration and turning Election Day into a national holiday. In states like Colorado, the DNC has supported legislation that mails ballots to all voters, making it easier for people to vote from home.
For veterans, both parties agree on the importance of honoring those who served, but their approaches differ. The RNC emphasizes policies like the 2017 VA Accountability Act, which made it easier to fire underperforming VA employees, aiming to reduce bureaucracy.
The DNC advocates for expanding services, such as mental health support. For example, they have pushed for bills like the 2020 Veterans Comprehensive Prevention, Access to Care, and Treatment (COMPACT) Act, which expands access to mental health care for veterans at risk of suicide.
| Issue | RNC Position | Project 2025 Position | DNC Position |
| Voting Rights | Protect election integrity. The RNC emphasizes stricter voter ID laws and measures to prevent voter fraud, ensuring that elections are secure. | Ensure secure and transparent elections. Project 2025 advocates for reforms to prevent voter fraud, including stricter ID requirements and monitoring of election processes. | Expand voting access. The DNC supports measures like automatic voter registration, early voting, and making Election Day a national holiday to increase voter participation and access. |
| Veterans | Honor and support veterans. The RNC emphasizes providing veterans the benefits they deserve, including better healthcare and job opportunities. | Enhance veteran services. Project 2025 advocates for improving healthcare, education, and job training for veterans, while ensuring they receive the full benefits they are entitled to. | Invest in veteran care. The DNC supports expanding access to healthcare, mental health services, and job opportunities for veterans, with a focus on addressing the challenges they face after service. |
Policing and Gun Rights
Regarding policing, the RNC believes in supporting law enforcement and maintaining a tough-on-crime stance. An example is their support for the 2020 executive order signed by then-President Trump, which aimed to increase funding for police departments and called for harsher penalties for crimes against law enforcement officers.
The DNC, in contrast, advocates for police reform, aiming to address issues like excessive force and racial bias. Following George Floyd’s death in 2020, the DNC supported the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which seeks to ban chokeholds and no-knock warrants and mandates more accountability for police officers.
Gun rights are another point of disagreement. The RNC strongly supports the Second Amendment and opposes most gun control measures. For example, in 2021, Republican lawmakers blocked the House from passing a bill that would have expanded background checks to all gun sales.
The DNC believes gun violence is a public health crisis and pushes for stricter gun control measures. After the 2018 Parkland shooting, the DNC supported state-level bans on assault weapons and promoted the March for Our Lives movement, which advocates for comprehensive gun control reform.
| Issue | RNC Position | Project 2025 Position | DNC Position |
| Policing | Support the police. The RNC strongly backs law enforcement, opposing defunding efforts and advocating for increased funding and resources for police departments. | Reimagine public safety. The DNC advocates reforming police practices, increasing accountability, and investing in community-based alternatives to traditional policing. | Reimagine public safety. The DNC advocates for reforming police practices, increasing accountability, and investing in community-based alternatives to traditional policing. |
| Guns | Defend the Second Amendment. The RNC supports the right to bear arms and opposes gun control measures that they believe infringe on this constitutional right. | Bolster law enforcement. Project 2025 recommends increasing support for law enforcement agencies and ensuring they have the resources to maintain public safety. | Enact common-sense gun reforms. The DNC supports measures like universal background checks, banning assault weapons, and closing gun show loopholes to reduce gun violence. |
Judges and Laws
Judicial appointments are among the most apparent differences between the RNC and DNC. The RNC focuses on appointing judges who interpret the Constitution based on its original meaning. For example, they celebrated the appointment of Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, whose judicial philosophy aligns with originalism, a method of interpretation that limits judicial activism.
On the other hand, the DNC sees the courts as a place to drive progress toward a fairer and more equal society. They support appointing judges who will protect civil rights. For example, during the Obama administration, the DNC championed the appointment of Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who has a track record of rulings that support workers’ rights and social justice causes, such as her dissent in the Burwell v. Hobby Lobby case, advocating for women’s reproductive rights.
| Issue | RNC Position | Project 2025 Position | DNC Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Judges | Appoint conservative judges. The RNC supports the appointment of judges who interpret the Constitution according to its original meaning, without legislating from the bench. | Restore constitutional principles in the judiciary. Project 2025 emphasizes the importance of appointing judges who adhere strictly to the Constitution and limit the expansion of federal power. | Appoint judges who uphold rights and equality. The DNC prioritizes appointing judges who protect individual rights, support equality, and advance social justice through their rulings. |
| Laws | Strengthen the rule of law. Project 2025 calls for restoring law and order by enhancing law enforcement’s powers and ensuring that laws are applied fairly and consistently. | Appoint conservative judges. The RNC supports the appointment of judges who interpret the Constitution according to its original meaning without legislating from the bench. | Reform the justice system. The DNC supports criminal justice reform, including reducing mass incarceration, ending mandatory minimum sentences, and addressing systemic racism in law enforcement. |
These two candidates offer voters a choice.
These two candidates offer voters a clear choice on issues like laws, policing, gun control, and veterans’ support. Kamala Harris and the DNC focus on reforming institutions to expand rights and ensure greater equity. The Dems emphasize protecting civil rights through judicial appointments, pushing for police reform to address issues like excessive force, and supporting stricter gun laws to reduce violence. On veterans’ support, they advocate for expanding services such as mental health care and job training to ensure veterans receive comprehensive care.
On the other hand, Donald Trump, supported by the RNC and Project 2025, emphasizes a more traditional approach. Both Trump and the RNC focus on maintaining law and order through a right-leaning justice system, supporting law enforcement without significant reforms, and protecting gun rights with minimal restrictions. Their approach to veterans’ support centers on reducing bureaucracy and ensuring veterans receive the benefits they are entitled to while promoting efficiency in services. This reflects their broader focus on preserving traditional values and strengthening executive power.
US News breaks down the issues, my synopsis.
US News has done a great job summarizing the issue differences for this election. They have also created several decision guides for voters (mid-page). Everything here is based on those guides unless otherwise noted.
Kamala Harris has made the protection and expansion of voting rights a cornerstone of her campaign. She frequently emphasizes the need to restore the Voting Rights Act of 1965 protections, which was weakened by a 2013 Supreme Court decision. “Our democracy is strongest when every voice is heard,” Harris stated at a recent rally, promising to fight against voter suppression and gerrymandering that she argues disenfranchise minority communities.
Harris’s judicial philosophy also focuses on appointing judges who prioritize upholding civil rights and expanding access to justice. Her past as a prosecutor and her role on the Senate Judiciary Committee, where she rigorously questioned Trump-appointed justices, have shaped her commitment to ensuring that the judiciary remains a fair and balanced arbiter of the law.
Donald Trump has taken a more aggressive stance on law enforcement and gun rights. Trump has pledged to support law enforcement agencies unequivocally, criticizing what he describes as “soft-on-crime” policies that he believes undermine public safety. “We will bring back law and order to our cities,” Trump declared during a recent speech, emphasizing his intention to increase funding for police departments and strengthen penalties for crimes against law enforcement officers.
On gun control, Trump remains staunchly opposed to any new regulations, arguing that the Second Amendment is non-negotiable. He has criticized Harris’s support for banning assault weapons, claiming that such measures infringe on Americans’ constitutional rights.
Veterans’ issues also present a clear divide between the two candidates. Harris has advocated for increased mental health support for veterans, better integration of veterans into the civilian workforce, and stronger protections against discrimination. “Our veterans deserve more than just our thanks—they deserve action,” Harris said, proposing a comprehensive plan to address the unique challenges veterans face when returning to civilian life.
Meanwhile, Trump highlights his administration’s efforts to reform the Department of Veterans Affairs, including implementing the VA MISSION Act, which expanded veterans’ access to private healthcare providers. He has promised to continue these reforms, focusing on reducing bureaucracy and improving the quality of care for veterans.
As voters consider the country’s future, the stark differences between Harris and Trump on these issues provide a clear choice on the direction of American democracy, law enforcement, and the protection of fundamental rights.
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