They’re stuck with Trump.
He certainly cost them suburban districts with his behavior, language and SALT restriction.
NEW: Nearly a month after their 40-seat loss, House Republicans have done little soul-searching. But now some rank-and-file are speaking out.
The biggest worry: The Trump Factor may be unfixable, spurring more retirements & hampering ‘20 recruitmenthttps://t.co/sRTSNc149m
— Jonathan Martin (@jmartNYT) December 2, 2018
.@DavidYoungIA – who narrowly lost his seat bc of an anti-Trump backlash in the Des Moines burbs – illustrates the challenge Rs will have w recruitment: he won’t commit to running again till he sees the environment
— Jonathan Martin (@jmartNYT) December 3, 2018
The House R ldrs have also irritated remaining House R women
-Passed over @RepAnnWagner for NRCC (for a man)
–@SusanBrooksIN did thankless work on Ethics Cmte only to lose her Steering Cmte slot (for a man)
-GRANGER only won Approps RM by 1 vote on 3d ballot (vs less senior men)— Jonathan Martin (@jmartNYT) December 2, 2018
Keep thinking of what a sharp Hill vet told me in October: most House Rs now didn’t live thru ‘06, are much more siloed a la the base.
In other words, bc Trump won in ‘16 when it wasn’t expected media reports about House peril weren’t to be taken seriously.
— Jonathan Martin (@jmartNYT) December 3, 2018
In 2014, Republicans won suburban voters by 12. 2018? Dead even.
In 2014, Republicans lost women by 4 points. 2018? Lost women by 19.
No problem here, folks!https://t.co/kpM6mIkuos pic.twitter.com/H4vOcjxYcu
— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) December 4, 2018
GOP pollster @KSoltisAnderson : "There has not been an appetite for a course correction or a change in approach [among Rs]. So it would surprise me if there was a concerted effort to try win over more young voters between now and the 2020 election." https://t.co/X7wEmYCKG0
— Ronald Brownstein (@RonBrownstein) December 4, 2018
This excellent piece by @jmartNYT — https://t.co/EuHHpxCSJN — should be read in conjunction with this conversation with @RonBrownstein — https://t.co/cDuPb09pqe — if you want to come to grips with what the future of a Trumpist Republican Party looks like.
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) December 3, 2018
Sad! 