A new group of GOP presidential hopefuls are using their first debate performance to highlight their priorities for the next administration.
The group of candidates unveiled its first agenda at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday night, which includes the party’s priorities for 2020, which include boosting the economy and creating jobs, according to the group’s website.
The group also released a list of eight common core principles that the GOP candidates will likely push during the 2016 presidential campaign, which they have already endorsed.
“These eight principles will help build on our current record of accomplishment,” said the group, which also includes former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Texas Gov.
Rick Perry.
“They will guide our future efforts in the fight for economic and social justice, and they will be essential to the successful fight for our nation’s future.”
The top priority of the group is to build a strong middle class, which is essential to building a stable and prosperous nation.
This year, President Trump and Vice President Pence have promised to increase the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour.
The GOP platform says the party will “end the era of mass incarceration and end the era where the economy is driven by a handful of billionaire CEOs,” adding that this is “a long-term strategy that will build a stronger middle class and create jobs.”
“Our goal is to provide our voters with clear, concise answers about what our party stands for and how we will achieve that goal,” said one of the candidates, New Jersey Gov.
Chris Christie, in a statement.
“Our goal as a party is to have a president and a Congress that represent our voters’ interests, not the wealthy interests of a few.”
Other candidates also have endorsed the platform.
Ohio Gov.
John Kasich, for example, endorsed the agenda in an interview with The New York Times.
Kasich has said he will not run for president and that his only goal will be to win re-election to the White House.
“I want to serve this country well, but I’m not going to be a candidate,” Kasich said.
“I’m going to focus on my state, my district and working with my staff and constituents to get us back on track in a better way.”
Former New York Gov.
and likely 2020 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton also endorsed the party platform, but said she would “have no role” in the administration.
She also called for a “reinvestment” in education, saying she is “not a political operative.”
“As a candidate for president, I have been clear about how I believe our economy, our country, our world needs a lot more investment in education and higher education,” she said in a video.
“We must be bold in the pursuit of those investments and have the guts to fight for them.”
The group also endorsed three policies that would help expand access to affordable college, including a plan to “raise the cost of higher education for families in all 50 states,” and a plan that would give students the option to take a “free and pre-kindergarten” course, and pay for it by taxing Wall Street banks that have helped finance the housing bubble.
The GOP platform includes several ideas on how to improve the economy, including reducing income inequality, ending child labor and raising the minimum wage.
But it also has a focus on expanding the number of apprenticeships and other training opportunities for people in low-wage jobs.
“There are many areas where the party has failed and the candidates are doing what they can to make up for that, including in the areas of childcare, education and workforce development,” said Ben Carson, who will be the Republican nominee for president.
“So we will have to do a lot of hard work to get this done.”
For example, the platform calls for the creation of a new federal program that would create 15 million jobs in the next two years.
That plan includes a $1.1 trillion investment in infrastructure, including roads, bridges, airports, ports and telecommunications.
“Our country is the envy of the world,” the platform says.
“It is not a coincidence that it is also one of our strongest economies and the world’s leading democracy.
So we must continue to invest in our economy to create jobs and grow our economy.”
The platform also recommends “more than doubling our investments in public education, which will result in tens of millions of more young people in higher education.”
The platform also supports a national public college education plan that includes expanding scholarships to students who qualify and creating “safe and responsible public colleges and universities.”