Opinion
USA – -(Ammoland.com)- Republicans lost in an Alabama U.S. Senate race for the first time in 25 years.
Republicans lost the Virginia governorship last month, despite Ed Gillespie getting more votes than any Republican gubernatorial candidate in the state’s history. They also lost 14 House of Delegates seats, and four races are still being recounted – enough for Republicans to potentially lose control after 17 years in the majority.
In New Jersey, an unpopular Republican governor doomed the GOP candidate to a decisive defeat with 42 percent of the vote. Despite this outcome, the legislative elections were essentially a draw.
The FiveThirtyEight.com estimates the current generic ballot is now 47.2 percent Democrat and 37.5 percent Republican. If this stabilizes at that level, 2018 will be a disaster for Republicans.
Those Republicans who take comfort from the special elections in the House of Representatives should look carefully at the details. Every special election the GOP has won since the 2016 elections has involved districts which are either strongly Republican or voted for President Trump. Despite massive spending by various GOP groups, these victories have all been smaller than the 2016 margins in the same districts.
In both Alabama and Virginia, the Democrats were energized and turned out.
Meanwhile, Republicans are divided: Alabama was a GOP civil war; many Republicans are unhappy with their leaders in Washington; and independents are being alienated by both the President and Congressional Republicans.
As a first step back from the edge of disaster, Republicans must pass tax cuts by the end of this year and continue economic growth.
However, it is increasingly clear that vastly more must be done.
Republicans need to spend January developing a new strategy capable of changing current patterns and maximizing their chance to keep the House. They also must increase their Senate majority by five or six, so it will be strong enough to keep the majority in 2020 when the playing field will favor Democrats.
Every Republican, beginning with the President and Vice President, needs to understand what a disaster Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer would be.
By June, it may be too late to course-correct. Avoiding a Democratic wave election requires action now.
Your Friend,
Newt
Your Friend,
Newt
P.S. Copies of Callista’s new children’s book, Hail to the Chief, and my new book Understanding Trump are now available
About Newt Gingrich
Newt Gingrich is well-known as the architect of the “Contract with America” that led the Republican Party to victory in 1994 by capturing the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time in forty years. After he was elected Speaker, he disrupted the status quo by moving power out of Washington and back to the American people.
Gingrich Productions is a performance and production company featuring the work of Newt Gingrich and Callista Gingrich. Visit : www.gingrichproductions.com