Conservatives Need to Keep Having More Kids

Everywhere you look, headlines warn of collapsing birthrates. The United States has dipped well below replacement level. There is, however, a silver lining: conservatives in America are still having children. Researchers have noted a “Trump Bump,” a measurable uptick in births among Republican families. According to the Institute on Family Studies, “In the past 12 years, the geographic relationship between voting Republican and having more babies has grown by 85 percent.” At a time when cultural and economic forces are pushing against having families, conservatives are choosing to swim upstream and build the next generation.

Still, almost every red state is dangerously below replacement levels. The only exception is South Dakota, which recently recorded a fertility rate of 2.01 per couple. This is important because any state falling short of two children per couple is shrinking. Declining fertility rates are a ticking time bomb of instability. Fewer people means fewer workers to drive the economy and fewer consumers to fuel demand. Given these consequences, illegal immigration becomes less of a policy choice and more of an attempt to subsidize a state that is dying. This helps explain the deeper meaning behind the Democratic support of illegal immigration, which flows from a liberal worldview that neglects family formation. Demographics support this notion as the states with the lowest fertility as of 2023 all had a Democratic majority, while the states with the highest fertility all had a Republican majority. A stark example of how people influence policy, and vice versa.

The conservative families participating in the Trump Bump are swimming against a current that seems determined to erode the very idea of a nuclear family. Everywhere else, the message is clear: put off marriage, prioritize careers, treat children as optional. Yet in red America, couples are quietly proving that the old rhythms of life still have power to influence elections. What sets conservatism apart is an emphasis on legacy and preserving our values for the next generation. This is why many Republican couples have started to step up despite the broader culture that is hostile to families. Careerism and individualism send the message that children are burdens and not blessings, but without them, the U.S. will eventually collapse under instability. If conservatives want to continue to be on the front lines to fight that outcome, there can be no complacency. They need to keep choosing family even when the world tells them to choose themselves.

Republicans need to celebrate marriage, encourage young couples, and honor parents who make sacrifices for their children. Communities, churches, and policies must all support the decision to say yes to life. The surest way to secure the future is not another election cycle, but a generation of children raised to carry on conservative values. Amid falling birthrates all around us, the conservative choice to keep building families is one of the most hopeful signs for our culture. It is proof that Americans are not giving up and that they still believe in tomorrow.