3 questions every candidate participating in next week’s GOP debate needs to answer 

Consider this. When I defeated Rep. Al Baldus in 1980 to represent Wisconsin’s 3rd District in Congress, we were better friends at the end of our campaign than before. Why? Because we talked about the issues rather than personal attacks on each other. Today, that era of friendly, issue-based elections feels like a thing of the past.  

Last week, the state of Georgia indicted former President Trump and members of his team for conspiring to subvert the will of the voters and overturn the results of the 2020 election. Americans used to see headlines like that from other countries and think, “That can’t happen here.” Well, it did. What is possible in American politics has changed. Regardless of political party, the way we vet our politicians must change too. 

We used to take the peaceful transfer of power for granted. Presidential concession speeches had become an election night tradition. In 1992, ousted Republican President George H.W. Bush asserted that “America must always come first.” Eight years later, Democratic Vice President Al Gore conceded the closest election in our history by saying, “Just as we fight hard when the stakes are high, we close ranks and come together when the contest is done.”  

As our elections have grown more divisive and more rancorous in recent years, these concession speeches have only grown in importance. They signal to all Americans that the fight is over. The people have spoken. And the time to heal has begun. 

Then, on Jan. 6, 2021, the angry supporters of a president who refused to concede stormed the U.S. Capitol and tried to overturn a legitimate election decided by the American people. Our democracy survived, but it was a warning. We can no longer assume every candidate believes that elections and the peaceful transfer of power are sacred. Moving forward, we must ask all candidates of every party if they stand for self-government, or merely for themselves. 

The upcoming Republican presidential primary debate on Aug. 23 in Milwaukee is the perfect place to start. Moderators should ask each candidate three questions:  

1. Will you accept the results of the election, even if you don’t win? The 2024 election will likely be as close as it is divisive. And after the events of 2020, voters on both sides will be on edge. It is critical that any candidate for president believes they can lose, legitimately, and is prepared to accept that outcome. 

2. Will you promote a peaceful transfer of power? This has been the cornerstone of American democracy since the Federalists turned over power to the Democratic-Republicans in 1800. It’s what has set America apart from so many fledgling democracies over the centuries. And it’s what affirms that the people—not those in power—get to decide America’s destiny. A major party’s nominee should be prepared to honor that history. 

3. Should those involved in Jan. 6 be held accountable? The attack on the U.S. Capitol was the most serious assault on American democracy since the Civil War. And while many of those who entered the Capitol that day have been found, tried and sentenced, we can’t prevent the next Jan. 6 if we don’t hold to account those leaders who incited the first one. In the United States of America, we believe no one is above the law. Our next president should believe that too. 

Losing an election is a humbling experience. But American democracy is bigger than any one politician or political party. It requires us to respect and accept the will of the voters. The American people deserve to know if the men and women running for president today are prepared to do the same. 

Steve Gunderson is a former U.S. congressman who represented Wisconsin’s 3rd District from 1981 to 1997. He is a member of Issue One’s National Council on Election Integrity and ReFormers Caucus.