Republican Party Struggles Against Its Own Messaging To Promote COVID Vaccine Effort

Congressional Republicans have found themselves victims of their own mixed massaging on the vaccine. Almost half of conservative voters don’t plan on getting the vaccine, and months of COVID-19 denialism now clash with Republican efforts to get their base inoculated, The Hill reports.

Most leaders within the party have thrown their weight behind vaccination efforts. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California and Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah have all spoken in favor, but former President Donald Trump and many less moderate caucus members have been less enthusiastic.

“I hope that leaders of our party from President Trump on down make it real clear that it's a great idea to get a vaccination,” said Romney. “It's good for one's own health, and it's good for the health of our neighbors.”

Trump spent months downplaying the severity of the COVID-19 epidemic, leaving the incoming Biden administration with a crippled vaccination effort. Both Trump and former first lady Melania Trump were vaccinated in secret before leaving office, only revealing their inoculation recently. They have also refrained from speaking strongly in favor of the vaccine until recently.

That stance has taken its toll on conservative faith in the vaccine: almost half of all Republican voters told an NPR poll they didn’t plan to get vaccinated, compared to just 10% of Democrats. The disparity is even larger among men, with just 6% of Democratic males saying they won’t be inoculated.

Even as the Republican party shifts away from denialism, a fear of government overreach still has some politicians hedging their message.

“I’m very glad we have a vaccine. … I’m certainly encouraging people to get vaccinated, but I also think it’s a choice for individual Americans to make,” said Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas on Tuesday.

Still, Republicans have been getting more strident in their messaging to supporters. Cruz's fellow Texas senator, John Cornyn, delivered a stark warning to people not taking the virus seriously.

“There are some folks in certain age groups or of certain world views who think they're bulletproof,” Cornyn said. “And while you may get lucky and have an asymptomatic case, you also could end up in the hospital or intensive care with a ventilator or worse.”

Cornyn added that vaccines were the best path forward.

"This is our way out. … This is our ticket back to normalcy," he said.