A House Republican is urging her party’s new campaign chief to investigate why they lost 40 seats in the 2018 midterm elections, the biggest net gain for Democrats since Watergate.
“We fell short across multiple demographics, including women, who represent a growing segment of America’s voting population,” Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., wrote Monday to incoming National Republican Congressional Committee chair Tom Emmer, R-Minn., according to the Hill. “Minimizing or ignoring the root causes behind these historic losses will lead us to repeat them.”
Stefanik on Monday called for “an honest, transparent assessment of the structural operations and decision-making process,” including fundraising, polling, data, and staffing.
“The NRCC should also look at decisions made by House Leadership during the 2018 cycle including the policy process, legislation and messaging to see what contributed to our losses this cycle and how we can adjust moving forward,” she wrote.
The letter was also signed by Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., and outgoing Reps. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., and Kevin Yoder, R-Kan.
The push follows public disagreement between Stefanik and Emmer over the NRCC’s direction. Stefanik stood down from her role as the campaign arm’s first female head of recruitment so she could go against tradition and champion women candidates competing in 2020 primary elections. The NRCC usually does not intervene in primaries.
Emmer told Roll Call last week Stefanik may regret the move because voters tend to resent interference from Washington.
“If that’s what Elise wants to do, then that’s her call, her right. But I think that’s a mistake,” he said. “It shouldn’t be just based on looking for a specific set of ingredients — gender, race, religion — and then we’re going to play in the primary.”
Stefanik and the NRCC did not respond to the Washington Examiner‘s request for comment.
