Even though Donald Trump won’t appear at tonight’s Republican primary debate, he still features prominently in every opinion piece on the event. Trust us. We’ve tried to find just one that doesn’t focus on him and it’s impossible. That’s too bad. There are some thoughtful competitors in this race with serious positions worth considering. If the party can manage to put their policies front and center, it stands a chance of winning over new voters next year.

This is the argument Republican and former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan tries to make in his piece today for Newsweek. Recently, certain members of the Republican Party signed a “Freedom Conservatism” statement cataloging a number of basic tenets previously held dear by the party. The aim is to return principle to the core of the movement, which might seem unnecessary until one remembers the party abandoned any kind of platform at the 2020 Republican National Convention. What impact the “Freedom Conservatism” statement will have remains to be seen, but Hogan is a serious man with serious skills (he was a Republican governor in a Democratic state and left office with an unheard of 77% approval rating). He, like several of tonight’s candidates, has proven himself worth listening to. Hopefully, Republican primary voters are paying attention.