Two smart takes on a fractured conservative movement

North Carolina conservative leaders weigh in on the national split—and the kind of leadership it takes to keep the coalition intact

Feb 23, 2026

Two new pieces on the fractures in the conservative movement, both by N.C. conservative leaders I highly respect, are worth your time.

Over at the John Locke Foundation, CEO Donald Bryson writes that one of the reasons for the drama is that the coalition no longer agrees on fundamental principles, especially about the moral limits of power and what we’re conserving in the first place.

Pope Foundation president John Hood takes a more tactical angle in a new episode of the Do Politics Better podcast.

He lays out two competing visions — Freedom Conservatism and National Conservatism — and explains where they came from and where they differ.

I’m a signer of the FreeCon statement of principles, but I’m glad both movements exist. NatCon is a bit too collectivist and comfortable with federal power for my liking. But I do admire its seriousness about religion in public life and its defense of the family.

I think these two factions can coexist in the same coalition, and of course, the real world rarely breaks down so cleanly. The key is the right leadership.

“You don’t elect a party in America, you elect a person,” Hood says in the podcast. “You elect people who are capable of leading and building rather than shrinking coalitions over time. Right now we don’t really see that kind of leadership. Whichever faction comes up with a leader like that, they’re the ones that will win more often than not in the future.”

He’s right. The resolution won’t be one side vanquishing the other. It’ll be leaders with the talent to bridge the gap and speak credibly to both sides of the conservative debate.