Marc Thiessen tears into Republican Party after midterms: 'Squandered a historic opportunity'
Marc Thiessen, speechwriter for former President George W. Bush, sounds off on results from the 2022 midterm elections.
Fox News contributor Marc Thiessen unleashed a scathing rebuke of the Republican Party Wednesday after the midterms failed to deliver the "red wave" the party was hoping for.
"Americans are begging for a reasonable alternative to what's happening in this country, and we're not giving it to them," Thiessen said on "America's Newsroom." "And if we don't give it to them, then shame on us."
Democrats beat back Republicans in close races across the country Tuesday night, leaving both the House of Representatives and the Senate up for grabs.
"75% of voters last night said that they not only didn't like the direction of the country, they were angry about the direction of the country, and yet they voted for the status quo," Thiessen said. "Why is that? It's because the Republican Party did not give them a viable alternative to vote for. They were begging for a viable alternative. And we didn't [give it]."
PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 08: Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media during an election night event at Mar-a-Lago on November 08, 2022 in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump spoke as the nation awaits the results of voting in the midterm elections. ((Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images))
"As a result, we squandered a historic opportunity."
Registered voters ranked abortion a close second to the economy in a poll about top midterm issues, leaving analysts to reexamine the role the issue played in key races.
"Looking at the environment, looking at the inflation, looking at the economy, looking at crime, looking at immigration, I think that abortion played a bigger role than we think it did in a number of states across the country," Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier said earlier on the show.
Thiessen argued a big factor that stifled a "red wave" was a "candidate quality issue" stemming from former President Donald Trump's endorsements in key battleground states.
"We nominated a bunch of people that the voters rejected in a lot of these Senate races," he said.
"[Voters] looked at us, and they said, ‘We sent you a message in 2020. Did you not hear us?,’" he continued. "I'm not a ‘Never-Trumper,’ but the election denial put people over the edge. At some point the voters said, 'We don't want this. We don't want the chaos.'"
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As control of the Senate remains uncertain, Thiessen claimed that if Republicans fail to gain the body, it is largely due to the former president's involvement.
"If that happens, Donald Trump costs us the Senate twice in a row."
"In 2020, voters didn't reject Trumpism. They rejected Trump," he added.
Incumbent Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to supporters at an election night party after winning his race for reelection in Tampa, Fla., Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, as his wife Casey listens. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell))
Thiessen praised the overwhelming re-election success of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a candidate who Trump has bashed in recent weeks.
"Florida was the silver lining in what was otherwise a very, very dark night", Thiessen said, echoing Baier's earlier analysis that the state's shift from purple to red was the "huge" midterm story for Republicans.
Heavily-populated and diverse Miami-Dade County in South Florida voted red in the governor's race for the first time in two decades. Republican Sen. Marco Rubio also defeated Democrat challenger Val Demings in the county. President Biden took Miami-Dade by seven percentage points in 2020.
DeSantis has seen his popularity soar among conservatives in Florida and across the country the past two and a half years, courtesy of his forceful pushback against coronavirus pandemic restrictions and his aggressive actions as a culture wars warrior.
SOUTH FLORIDA SHIFT HELPS DESANTIS, RUBIO CRUISE TO VICTORY
Other pundits including former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich have echoed Thiessen's warning, calling on Republicans to reevaluate why voters did not turn to the GOP despite record inflation, a crime crisis and a border in chaos.
"They looked at Joe Biden, and then they looked at what the alternative the Republican Party was presenting them. And they said, ‘No thanks.’ And we need to do some introspection as to why that happened," Thiessen said.
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Thiessen argued the party should look to Florida as a model for the next election cycle in 2024 after DeSantis' success.
"[Voters] gave the Republican Party a wake-up call," he said.
Fox News' Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
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