Sunshine, optimism and a few crossed fingers as Republican Party leaders gather in California to plan for 2018 election – Los Angeles Times
Across the country in Washington, fresh trouble was breaking out by the hour, enveloping a Republican president and stalling a raft of campaign promises in his young presidency. But here, at a gathering of Republican Party leaders, the mood was upbeat.
On Wednesday, the second day in which President Trumps administration was buried in fallout from his decision to fire FBI Director James B. Comey, Republican National Committee members and guests gathered under festive white lights on the lawn of the elegant Hotel del Coronado, serenaded by a guitarist who played Hotel California as the sun set.
Desserts, more beverages and fine cigars were waiting at the RNCs next private party stop, a host told the happy and relaxed crowd.
On Thursday, RNC members heard optimistic assessments of the partys financial standing, listened to an invitation-only speech by the presidents daughter-in-law Lara Trump and talked up strategies for the 2018 election.
For a few days, the members of the RNC are happily in a bubble.
Members of Congress might be growing a bit wobbly on Trump and the media atmospherics may be cloudy and getting darker, but little of that negativity was visible at this sun-splashed resort.
Im the chairman of the California Republican Party, Jim Brulte pointed out, making reference to the GOPs fading registration numbers in the state: By definition Im optimistic.
Party activists here seemed confident not only of securing the three congressional seats up for grabs in special elections this spring, he said, but also of making a strong showing in House and Senate races in 2018, despite Democratic glee at Trumps current problems.If you want an optimistic bubble, you ought to be talking to congressional Democrats because theyre in an optimistic bubble, he said.
Some RNC members quietly hinted at concerns about the president, given that the Republican healthcare bill an answer to years of promises that the GOP would repeal and replace Obamacare faces weeks of work, at a minimum, after a narrow win in the House.
Even before the healthcare debate, the Comey controversy and the continuing investigation into whether Trump allies colluded with Russia to affect the 2016 election, the president suffered from historically low approval ratings.
Id like to see him get some stuff done, said one RNC member, who requested anonymity to preserve relations within the party.
To some extent, the presidents troubles are helping to energize the party, conversations here made clear.
Little cements support for an elected official more than criticism from the enemy, and the raft of insults leveled at Trump by Democrats over recent weeks and months have only buffed his image in the minds of some here.
As RNC member Steve Scheffler of Iowa put it: The mood of Republican activists is that theyre thrilled to have a president and an administration going to basically try to fulfill the promises Donald Trump made, and also to push back against what I would call the shrill, unhinged, socialist left that just never seems to accept the fact that Donald Trump was elected president.
Scheffler cited ruckuses at recent town halls, where Republican officeholders have faced angry crowds worried about losing healthcare benefits or, he suggested, bent on causing trouble in a way that will boomerang in the next elections.
GOP Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, he recalled, was shouted down and called a liar before shed even said her piece at one recent event.The American people see that for what it is, he said. Its not really a civil discourse.
For more on politics
The party could suffer, however, if the president remains under siege as the midterm election arrives. Midterm votes usually play out as referendums on the sitting chief executive.
Several RNC members said the overwhelming view among them of the Comey matter was that the FBI director should have been fired long ago, and that Democrats were hypocrites for defending him now after blaming him for Hillary Clintons loss in 2016. (They avoided noting that late in his campaign, Trump had fiercely defended the man he fired this week.)
As for healthcare, the controversial House bill was a glitch in the road,as Scheffler put it, which Republicans here hope will prove less dangerous once Senate Republicans craft their version. (Several nonpartisan congressional handicappers have moved their forecasts for nearly two dozen House seats toward Democrats in recent weeks a figure perilously close to the number of seats that would give them control of the chamber.)
Some RNC members expressed more open concern. Steve Duprey, the Republican committeeman from New Hampshire and a veteran of that states political races, said Democrats were being hypocritical about Comey. But he added that an errant signal may have been sent when Trump met with two high-ranking Russian officials a day after firing the FBI director in apparent pique over the investigation into Russia and the Trump campaign.
There are some of us who wish the optics were a little different, and the timing, he said. It wouldnt have been how I scheduled it.
Few of the partys major activists backed Trump when his campaign began in 2015, but Duprey and others say members appreciate him now. They specifically cited his appointment of Supreme Court Justice Neil M. Gorsuch and Trumps pursuit of a foreign policy more aggressive than President Obamas.
This a president who is trying to make things happen, Duprey said. While some of us would like him to shut down his Twitter account and perhaps change his comportment a little bit, its part of who he is. Yes, he has to deliver on some things, but I think the perception is hes doing a good job.
Although no one was indiscreet enough to say so, another possibility seemed to be in the air among Republicans in Coronado. If Trump could actually pull off a presidential victory despite all the odds, whos to say that Republicans cant succeed just as well in 2018?
I think anybody that will suggest that in May of 2017 they can tell you with certainty whats going to happen in November of 2018 is either a prophet or a charlatan, said California party chief Brulte. And we havent had any prophets that were 100% accurate since Old Testament times.
@cathleendecker
@LATSeema
ALSO
Read the original post:
Sunshine, optimism and a few crossed fingers as Republican Party leaders gather in California to plan for 2018 election - Los Angeles Times
- Exclusive | The Republican Strategy to Win Without Trump on the Ballot - WSJ - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Another Republican enters race to succeed Andy Barr in U.S. House - Kentucky Lantern - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Republican tax and spending cut megabill expected to take billions from Oregon Health Plan - Oregon Capital Chronicle - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Up Close with Bill Ritter: Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa on race for NYC mayor; Democrats try to unite behind Zohran Mamdani - ABC7 New York - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Exclusive / Moreno set to replace Tillis on Republican whip team - Semafor - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Chairman of Randall County Republican Party arrested for election fraud - KVII - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Republican Backs Push to Repeal Part of Trump Bill Days After Voting For It - Newsweek - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Republican The View Co-Host Admits to Crying Backstage at Least Half a Dozen Times - The Daily Beast - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Wisconsin Republican compares himself to Trump as he launches his bid for governor - AP News - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Opinion | Jeff Flake: The Republican Fever Must Break - The New York Times - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Two women accuse Republican state lawmaker of making unwanted sexual advances. He denies the allegations. - The Colorado Sun - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- 1988: A year that echoes in Georgia Republican politics to this day - SaportaReport - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Manassas Republican Party Headquarters vandalized over July 4 weekend - Washington Times - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Republican House leader Windschitl announces campaign for Congress in western Iowa - thegazette.com - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Public Safety Should Trump Politics; The High Cost of Republican Posturing - Progress Texas - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Georgia Republican says grandchildren are safe after being at Texas summer camp that flooded - The Hill - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Two women accuse Republican State Representative of inappropriate sexual behavior - KUSA.com - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- New York Times columnist admits that Trump is a 'normie Republican' - Fox News - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- E&E News: Energy winners and losers in the Republican megabill - POLITICO Pro - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Completely beatable: Dems go on offensive over unpopular Republican budget - MSNBC News - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Rep. Mark Green resigns from Congress, leaving Speaker Johnson with an even narrower Republican majority in the House - CNBC - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- A swing-district Republican on why he supports Trump's sweeping policy bill : Here & Now Anytime - NPR - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Trumps climate research cuts are unpopular, even with Republican voters - Yale Climate Connections - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Energy winners and losers in the Republican megabill - E&E News by POLITICO - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Tax Cuts Now, Benefit Cuts Later: The Timeline in the Republican Megabill - The New York Times - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Opinion | An Immoral and Cruel Republican Bill - The New York Times - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- No One Loves the Bill (Almost) Every Republican Voted For - The Atlantic - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Truth to Power: A Republican Senator Stands Up for Medicaid and His Constituents; Then Announces Retirement - Georgetown University - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- 9 Questions About the Republican Megabill, Answered - The New York Times - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- This Pennsylvania Republican withstood pressure on the megabill. Heres why. - Politico - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Wisconsin Republican Deletes Post That Appeared To Celebrate Millions Of People Losing Health Insurance - Yahoo - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Republican Bill Puts Nation on New, More Perilous Fiscal Path - The New York Times - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Trump says the Republican mega bill will eliminate taxes on Social Security. It does not - PBS - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Republican Bill Will Raise Costs, Poverty, and Hunger, Take Health Coverage Away From Millions - Center on Budget and Policy Priorities - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Republican voters on Trumps sweeping tax-and-spend legislation: This bill is a no-brainer! - The Guardian - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- These are the Republican votes to watch on the Trump megabill - The Hill - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Trump Meets With House Republican Holdouts to Press for Policy Bill - The New York Times - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- How the Republican spending bill super-charges immigration enforcement - Reuters - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- House Should Reject Senate Republican Bill That Is Even Worse Than Already Harmful House Version in Important Ways - Center on Budget and Policy... - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Trump Tax Bill Hits Republican Resistance in House Ahead of Vote - Bloomberg - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- The Republican senators who voted against Trump's "big, beautiful bill" - Axios - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- By the Numbers: Senate Republican Leaderships Reconciliation Bill Takes Food Assistance Away From Millions of People - Center on Budget and Policy... - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Which Republican senators voted against Trump's agenda bill and why - ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- State of Colorado says Republican budget bill will cut billions in federal funding for Medicaid in the state - CBS News - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Republican Senator Tells House Not To Vote on Bill She Just Voted For - Newsweek - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Here Are the Republican Senators Who May Revolt on Trumps Bill - The New York Times - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Opinion | The Republican Policy Bill Will Cripple Obamacare - The New York Times - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- House Republican files amendment to revert Trump-endorsed 'big, beautiful bill' back to initial House version - Fox News - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Republican budget leaders moving forward a plan to close the aging Green Bay prison - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- RFK Jr. is bringing psychedelics to the Republican Party - Politico - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Republican Sen. Thom Tillis will not seek reelection next year after Trump attacks - NPR - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Following Trump attacks, Republican Senator Tillis bows out of 2026 reelection race - Reuters - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Republican North Carolina Sen. Tillis wont seek reelection after opposing Trumps bill - PBS - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina wont run in 2026 after opposing Trumps bill - AP News - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Sanders Leads Republican Governors to Call on Congress to Remove AI Regulatory Moratorium from One, Big, Beautiful Bill - Arkansas Governor - Sarah... - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- House Republican Don Bacon, a Trump critic, will not seek reelection - media - Reuters - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Exclusive | One NY Republican opens massive lead in possible primary to face Gov. Kathy Hochul: poll - New York Post - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina won't seek reelection after opposing Trump's bill - WCCB Charlotte - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Nebraska Republican Don Bacon will not seek re-election to Congress - NBC News - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Democratic and Republican Parties Hold Nominating Events This Week for Sept. 9 Special Election - Fairfax County (.gov) - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Vulgar and threatening graffiti painted on Huntsville business ahead of Republican congresswomans visit - WAFF - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Centrist Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska won't seek reelection - ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- A Running List of Policies Rejected From the Republican Megabill - The New York Times - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Trumps Bill Slashes the Safety Net That Many Republican Voters Rely on - The New York Times - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Republican plans to overhaul Medicaid are already shaking up the 2026 midterms - CNN - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- The Senate Republican Tax Plan: Officially Worse than the House Republican Tax Plan - Senate Committee on Finance (.gov) - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Texas Republican State Representative discusses why he opposed the THC ban, criticizes the state bud - CBS News - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Republican Says 'Most' of Iran's Uranium Is Still There - Newsweek - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Fewer Democrats Are Taking the Bait on Republican Immigration Votes - NOTUS - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- US Republican senators push back on Trump cuts to foreign aid and public media - Reuters - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Republican introduces amendment to end birthright citizenship once and for all - Fox News - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Centrist Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska won't seek reelection - Yahoo - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Scoop: New Republican Senate candidate in Kentucky to team up with top Trump ally - Fox News - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- The Republican foreign policy debate, President Trump, and the transatlantic alliance - Brookings - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- A Republican plan to sell off millions of acres of public lands is no more for now - Los Angeles Times - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- By the Numbers: Senate Republican Leaderships Health Agenda Takes Health Coverage Away From Millions of People and Raises Families Costs - Center on... - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Sweeping GOP budget bill illuminates the central fault line in the modern Republican coalition - CNN - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Lisa Murkowskis commitment to the Trump-era Republican Party appears increasingly shaky - MSNBC News - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Republican plans to cap student borrowing could shatter an everyday profession - Politico - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Republican Lisa Murkowski on Trumps America and the intensity on the security of our democracy - The Guardian - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]