McDaniel says party autopsy for 2022 shows independents didn’t break for GOP

Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said Sunday a recent report on the party’s disappointing performance in last year’s midterms showed that the GOP was unable to lock down the support of independents, citing abortion messaging as a key reason why.

“The biggest takeaway we’re taking is independents did not break our way, which has to happen if we’re gonna win in 2024,” McDaniel said on “Fox News Sunday,” adding that the support of independents usually contributes to a “red wave.”

McDaniel commented on a Washington Post article last week that detailed the party’s study on the midterms, with the newspaper saying a draft of the report did not mention the role or leadership of former President Trump, who was heavily criticized for the candidates he chose to support and his continuing message that the 2020 election was stolen from him.

“The Washington Post does not have a final draft, because there is not a final draft,” McDaniel said on Sunday. “Many of the committees have not completed that, so that’s inaccurate reporting.”

Republicans were expected to have a relatively strong performance in last year’s elections, with the party that is not in the White House historically picking up seats in the House and Senate in midterm races. But the GOP secured only a slim majority in the House and was not able to win a Senate majority. Republicans also lost a number of high-profile governor races.

Trump threw his support behind a number of candidates that ultimately lost, including Senate candidates Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania and Herschel Walker in Georgia. But McDaniel during the Fox News interview pivoted from talking about Trump, instead saying other issues were more important.

McDaniel pointed to abortion as one of the reasons that Republicans were unable to secure enough support from independents last year, saying GOP candidates needed to do a better job of articulating their own stance on the issue as well as calling out Democrats.