Texas Republican Party Vice Chairman David Covey of Longview said Friday that the party made mistakes in the Nov. 3 elections and must earn back voters' trust. Covey called the party's losses a "near-extinction event." He has served as vice chairman since this summer.
Covey said the party was out of touch on affordability, which he called the chief reason for the losses. He said President Donald Trump told voters the economy was in great shape when many did not feel that in their own lives. Covey also said the party's top-down system of control failed to listen to voters' needs.
Republicans nationwide lost control of both houses of Congress, and lost seats in Texas areas that had been GOP strongholds as late as two years ago, according to the report. Texas Democrats won every statewide office on the ballot and control of the state House. Covey said he believes about three-quarters of a million Republican voters stayed home.