US Republicans Grapple With Midterm Defeat, Blame Lack of Connection with Voters

WASHINGTON: Rep. Richard Hudson wanted a triumphant return to Capitol Hill this week after steering Republicans to another majority. Instead, the North Carolina Republican is facing the reality that he and dozens of colleagues will soon clear out their offices. "It was really people coming out to send a message," Hudson, the chair of the House GOP's campaign arm, said in a brief interview. "They, rightly so, felt gas was too high, things were too expensive." "The mistake Republicans made," he said, "is we didn't convey to them that we cared about that and cared about them." Back in Washington this week for the first time , Republicans were in something of a daze. Even as they acknowledged the depth of their defeat, there was little appetite for a wholesale break from US President Donald Trump. Instead, they met behind closed doors to talk about what went wrong. And they scrutinized the calendar to figure out how to push through as much of their agenda as possible before Democrats assume control of the House and the Senate in January.