A decade after its last election review, the Republican National Committee is moving forward with a new post-election audit designed to examine its disappointing performance in this month’s midterm elections.
The report, likely to take several months to complete, is expected to explore internal concerns about the quality of candidates, the lack of a clear government agenda and the party’s reluctance to embrace early voting, among other issues.
There is some disagreement over the exact focus and scope of the upcoming review, but committee members involved in the planning suggest it won’t sidestep difficult issues, including former President Donald Trump’s intense obsession with conspiracy theories.
“We need to figure out what worked and what didn’t work in the 2022 cycle to make sure we’re in the best position to win in 2024 (presidential election year). I think there is a lot to learn,” said the Republican. Member of the Mississippi Henry Barbour National Committee.
The decision to agree to such an audit represents a rare moment of public introspection by the Republican Party, which has defiantly resisted any and all calls to change course during the Trump era.
In fact, for the past six years, the Republican Party has focused almost exclusively on its devotion to Trump and his priorities, even as electoral losses mounted in 2018 and 2020.
The party’s disappointing results in the November 8 by-election marked a turning point for some Committee members, who are now more open to change.
It’s been ten years since the Republican National Committee last commissioned a post-election audit.
The so-called “Growth and Opportunity Bill” of 2013 finally called on Republicans to strike a more inclusive and welcoming tone, while also taking a more lenient stance on immigration.
However, Trump’s upset victory in the White House in 2016 convinced Party leaders to ignore their own recommendations, at least for a while.
Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel is beginning the 2022 post-election review as she faces a serious re-election test within the committee, which she has led since Trump took office.
In a move designed to demonstrate his political muscle, McDaniel also announced today the creation of an informal advisory board comprised of various 2022 candidates, some successful and some unsuccessful, and prominent Republican operatives, including former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway.
The advisory board is not expected to have any influence on the audit. Some committee members were particularly concerned after Ronna McDaniel gave an upbeat assessment of the GOP’s performance during a conference call the day after the midterm elections.
The Republicans won a narrow majority in the House of Representatives, well below expectations, and failed to win a majority in the Senate.
This came at a time when Democrats were facing historically adverse political headwinds.
Source: TSF
