Dr. Timothy K. Minella
Timothy Minella holds the position of Lecturer in the Lewis Honors College at the University of Kentucky. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a double major in physics and government from Hamilton College in 2009 and was one of the first undergraduates to be nurtured by The Alexander Hamilton Institute for the Study of Western Civilization (AHI). He attained the prestigious Presidential Scholarship to undertake graduate study at the University of South Carolina, where he obtained a Ph.D. in the history of science. In a recent op-ed, “Ron DeSantis and the New Republican Orthodoxy,” Dr. Minella explores Republican politics and the strengths and weaknesses of its growing populist credo.
The emerging populist politics of the Republican Party, Minella argues, derives primarily from two developments: “First, Republicans are belatedly coming to the realization that private business, particularly the titans of retail and finance, often actively support liberal causes . . . . Second, trust in both public and private institutions has fallen significantly.” In making his argument, he focuses on the policies of Republican presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida.
“The direction of the new Republicanism—towards a productive defense of the individual or towards an atomistic selfishness—will depend,” Minella concludes, “upon the skill and foresight of Republican leaders. Can they gain the trust of the base while steering their voters in a positive direction? For now, DeSantis appears to be the leading candidate to supplant the 45th president as the leader of this populist Republicanism.”
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