In the wake of significant Democratic gains and the election of a Democratic president, Republican Party members are now seeking to regroup as a party and also to attempt working across the aisle with the Democratic majority in Congress.
“It’s not a good year to be a Republican,” said Dan Keyserling, University Center for Politics deputy director of communications and former Cavalier Daily executive editor. After experiencing major losses following Tuesday’s elections — most notably in the bid for the presidency — the Republican Party will have to assess where it went wrong to regain what it has lost, Keyserling added.
Following the loss of seats in the Senate and the House, Keyserling said he believes Republicans will lose power as individuals and collectively as a party, which will ultimately mean Republican and conservative measures will be more difficult to pass in Washington, D.C., though there are several races yet to be determined.
Gerry Scimeca, Republican Party of Virginia communications director, however, added that although the Republicans suffered many losses on Election Day, it was “not a spectacular defeat” as the Democrats fell short of the 60 Senate seats needed to prevent a Republican filibuster.
University Democrats President Sarah Buckley said she expects an intense conflict between the two parties in Congress now that Democrats hold a solid majority but also expects the conflicts will result in more bipartisan action because Republicans will “no longer have a Republican president to act as a block to Democratic legislation.”
Similarly, Scimeca said he believes Republicans will work effectively with Democrats — provided that the Democrats uphold their promise to work across the aisle. Scimeca added that Republicans will speak out and oppose Democratic measures if the other party proves uncooperative.
Additionally, though fewer Republican names now dot the congressional rolls, Scimeca said he believes the Republicans’ new role as the minority group will allow them to become a more “cohesive and unified” party, allowing the party to regrow its strength and gain a sense of direction.
“The political environment was unfavorable to Republicans in pretty much every way,” Scimeca said of this year’s election, noting that the party’s goal is now to convince the general populace that “they can trust them again.”
University College Republicans President Savanna Rutherford also emphasized that there are still important issues to deal with in Washington — such as the state of the economy and foreign threats — that will require both sides to work together beyond their differences.
In terms of philosophy and strategy moving forward, Keyserling said he thinks the Republican Party needs to be more inclusive if it wants to make gains in the Electoral College in 2012 and attract a broader range of groups during the next presidential election. Keyserling added that the party also needs to focus and “hone in on a couple of seams that encapsulate its core ideas and return to those ideals” with a different, fresher perspective.
The Republican Party needs to “pause, regroup and rethink their strategy for the next four years,” Keyserling said.
Scimeca speculated that his party will attempt to communicate its proposed solutions for issues more effectively during future elections and that doing so might be make the party better at attracting voters. He also said, though, that Republicans are unlikely to change their basic principles in an effort to gain more support.
As for Obama’s ex-opponent, Keyserling predicted that Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., will return to his day job as a Congressional leader, rather than attempting another bid at the presidency. Keyserling, Scimeca, Buckley and Rutherford, all agreed, though, that McCain is an esteemed senator across party lines and will continue to play an important role in U.S. politics.
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