Former Georgia Republican Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan surprised many when he spoke at the Democratic National Convention last week, urging Republicans to support Vice President Kamala Harris.

Even though he disagrees with Harris on various policies, Duncan called attention to the serious risks posed by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to our democracy.

“Nowadays, our party resembles a cult,” Duncan remarked, “a cult that idolizes a criminal.”

Although I share Duncan’s views on Trump, I don’t agree with his recommendation for Republicans to support Harris. Instead, I advocate for sitting out the presidential election entirely as a protest. Nevertheless, I recognize why many conservatives feel compelled to back Trump.

While I am not voting for Trump, I understand why other Republicans will

Faced with two unsuitable candidates for the presidency, I will abstain from voting. My stance on this issue hasn’t changed for years, and I don’t foresee it changing before the election.

Trump hasn’t done anything to convince me otherwise. I will likely support Republicans further down the ballot while skipping both Trump and Harris in the presidential race.

I see my vote as a way to signal to the Republican Party that it hasn’t earned my support for the presidency, nor that of other conservatives who refuse to back Trump. I would rather withhold my vote than help either candidate.

In my opinion, Trump’s behavior after the 2020 election disqualifies him from public office, yet I understand why other conservatives feel like they have no alternative.

Although Trump’s policies have strayed somewhat from conservative ideals, they are more ideologically compatible than those proposed by a potential Harris administration.

While I perceive a Trump presidency to be risky, potential policy regulators like Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, pose a real threat to conservative values. Trump is a concern due to his flouting of legal norms, while a Democratic administration poses dangers through harmful policies.

Harris advocates genuinely socialist economic measures like price controls and aims to impose stricter limitations on the Second Amendment than any predecessor, while her vice-presidential pick openly denies the importance of free speech.

The increase in government authority and the potential erosion of citizens’ rights is a serious threat if Democrats achieve their policy goals, to the extent that it should disqualify any conservative-leaning voter, regardless of their thoughts on Trump.

Republicans who oppose Trump should work to remove him from the GOP

Trump’s dismal defeat in 2020 should have effectively ended his political aspirations. Yet he found a way to cling to relevance by promoting claims of a rigged election. His devoted following believed the fabrications he peddled, and as a result, the Republican Party remains linked to Trump for at least two more election cycles, even after Republicans missed the anticipated red wave in the 2022 midterms.

Given his past behavior, I have little faith that Trump won’t repeat this strategy if he faces another loss. He is already laying the groundwork for it.

For anti-Trump Republicans, it seems logical to believe that the party can only endure so many defeats before steering back toward genuine conservatism. Nevertheless, based on what I have observed from Trump’s supporters over the past eight years, their loyalty to him appears unshakeable, regardless of the number of losses.

Honestly, I am unsure which route would more effectively eliminate Trumpism from our party. A victory would secure his version of conservatism as the future of the GOP, whereas a loss likely means he will run again.

In 2028, this marks the fourth time Republicans will need to make a crucial decision.

Yet, it’s clear that conservatives wishing to distance themselves from Trump don’t need to support Harris. Instead, we must dedicate ourselves to the challenging task of establishing a conservative alternative to the MAGA movement following this election.

Unfortunately, Trump’s shadow continues to loom over U.S. politics. Those searching for an easy solution disregard the underlying issues that led us to this situation in the first place.

Dace Potas is an opinion columnist for YSL News and holds a degree in political science from DePaul University.