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WASHINGTON—North Carolina’s congressional Republicans have seen better days.
Following an election that strengthened Democratic control of the House and Senate and cost Republicans the White House, the diminished GOP is adjusting to Democratic domination with a painful round of soul searching about the party’s future.
When the new Congress meets in early 2009, the North Carolina delegation will include one fewer Republican senator and one fewer Republican representative, after the defeat of Sen. Elizabeth Dole and Rep. Robin Hayes.
The smaller, more conservative group of Republicans that will represent the state in Washington next year finds itself part of a vigorous debate over how the GOP should engage Democrats over the next two years while positioning itself to return to prominence.
Looking at exit poll data from Tuesday’s elections, some political analysts and Democrats detected a national shift away from conservatism, which they said explain Republican woes.
North Carolina Republican lawmakers disputed that notion in interviews on Friday. They pinned the party’s plight on poor communication of the party’s message and an abandonment of conservative principles over the last decade.
“I still believe we are a center-right country despite the election of Senator (Barack) Obama and I think the country will see that eventually,” said Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C.
Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., said, “It’s not yet clear if this was a realignment or not. I think we’ll have to see in two years.”
Between now and then, McHenry said, the party needs to work harder to sway middle class, suburban voters. That crucial voting bloc helped Obama win the White House and help Democrats expand majorities in the House and Senate.
To do that, he said, “it’s important for our party to return to the fundamental basics of conservatism.”
Several lawmakers said lobbyist scandals and a major expansion of government spending under President Bush and the Republican-controlled
Congress – until the GOP lost its majority in 2006 – hurt the brand of a party that had always positioned itself as favoring limited government.
“I think the Republican Party needs to do at least a solid year of soul searching. We lost our way,” said Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C. “A party that’s not true to its principles will not last long.”
Given the current political environment, Democrats said that re-emphasizing conservatism, as opposed to moving the party closer to the middle to attract moderates, will backfire for Republicans.
“They will move to the right, which is not where the country is today, and I do believe that will give us (Democrats) huge opportunities for moderates to move over to help us,” said Terry McAuliffe, former chairman of the Democratic National Committee.
In interviews, North Carolina Republicans in the House were divided on how to handle Democratic control of the federal government over the next two-year congressional session.
Jones said that the election showed Americans were frustrated with intense partisanship that has colored Washington under the last two presidents.
Republicans should set aside partisanship to work with Democrats when possible.
Howard Coble, R-N.C., said the “number one objective” for Republicans over the next two years “is to prevent bad legislation from passing.”
That challenge got more difficult this week, as the GOP lost 19 seats in the House and at least six seats in the Senate. The losses could increase because a winner has not been declared in a handful of races.
Coble said it would be more important than ever to work with the increased number of fiscally conservative Democrats in the next Congress to limit government spending.
“If we can pick up enough (conservative Democrats), I think we can do that,” he said.
Neil H. Simon contributed to this story. Sean Mussenden can be reached at smussenden@mediageneral.com or 202-662-7668
Following an election that strengthened Democratic control of the House and Senate and cost Republicans the White House, the diminished GOP is adjusting to Democratic domination with a painful round of soul searching about the party’s future.
When the new Congress meets in early 2009, the North Carolina delegation will include one fewer Republican senator and one fewer Republican representative, after the defeat of Sen. Elizabeth Dole and Rep. Robin Hayes.
The smaller, more conservative group of Republicans that will represent the state in Washington next year finds itself part of a vigorous debate over how the GOP should engage Democrats over the next two years while positioning itself to return to prominence.
Looking at exit poll data from Tuesday’s elections, some political analysts and Democrats detected a national shift away from conservatism, which they said explain Republican woes.
North Carolina Republican lawmakers disputed that notion in interviews on Friday. They pinned the party’s plight on poor communication of the party’s message and an abandonment of conservative principles over the last decade.
“I still believe we are a center-right country despite the election of Senator (Barack) Obama and I think the country will see that eventually,” said Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C.
Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., said, “It’s not yet clear if this was a realignment or not. I think we’ll have to see in two years.”
Between now and then, McHenry said, the party needs to work harder to sway middle class, suburban voters. That crucial voting bloc helped Obama win the White House and help Democrats expand majorities in the House and Senate.
To do that, he said, “it’s important for our party to return to the fundamental basics of conservatism.”
Several lawmakers said lobbyist scandals and a major expansion of government spending under President Bush and the Republican-controlled
Congress – until the GOP lost its majority in 2006 – hurt the brand of a party that had always positioned itself as favoring limited government.
“I think the Republican Party needs to do at least a solid year of soul searching. We lost our way,” said Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C. “A party that’s not true to its principles will not last long.”
Given the current political environment, Democrats said that re-emphasizing conservatism, as opposed to moving the party closer to the middle to attract moderates, will backfire for Republicans.
“They will move to the right, which is not where the country is today, and I do believe that will give us (Democrats) huge opportunities for moderates to move over to help us,” said Terry McAuliffe, former chairman of the Democratic National Committee.
In interviews, North Carolina Republicans in the House were divided on how to handle Democratic control of the federal government over the next two-year congressional session.
Jones said that the election showed Americans were frustrated with intense partisanship that has colored Washington under the last two presidents.
Republicans should set aside partisanship to work with Democrats when possible.
Howard Coble, R-N.C., said the “number one objective” for Republicans over the next two years “is to prevent bad legislation from passing.”
That challenge got more difficult this week, as the GOP lost 19 seats in the House and at least six seats in the Senate. The losses could increase because a winner has not been declared in a handful of races.
Coble said it would be more important than ever to work with the increased number of fiscally conservative Democrats in the next Congress to limit government spending.
“If we can pick up enough (conservative Democrats), I think we can do that,” he said.
Neil H. Simon contributed to this story. Sean Mussenden can be reached at smussenden@mediageneral.com or 202-662-7668