>> After what many analysts are calling a blue tsunami in last week's midterm elections.

Republicans are grappling with the loss of Congress.

Plus state houses and local offices nationwide.

Here in Illinois, Democrats won every statewide election, expanded their super majority in the General Assembly and flipped boards in multiple counties.

So where does the GOP go from here to answer that question, we are joined by Illinois Republican Party Chairman Bob Kathleen Murphy, a campaign strategist who most recently served as communications director for Don Tracy's Senate campaign.

Ray LaHood, former congressman from Illinois and secretary of transportation under President Barack Obama and Richard Porter, an attorney and longtime member of the Republican National Committee from Illinois.

He was a White House adviser to President George HW Bush and Vice President Dan Quayle got a great panel here.

Thanks to all of you for joining us.

Mr.

Grogan starting with you seeing how voters responded to concerns about affordability, the war, democracy and more.

How could the Republican Party have addressed those issues?

Better?

I think that >> the voters spoke.

I don't think that they showed us that we were wrong on the issues and you look at the referendums around the country.

So many of our issues won handily referendums.

It was our that was our politicians are candidates at last which I think they sent us a message that they just weren't happy with the way we govern the speed that we were solving these problems.

But I think that, you know, our policy positions are still sound when you when you say the speed with which are solving the problems, voters felt like nothing was happening quickly enough fast enough, correct.

So Donald 2 years ago ran on, you know, affordability, inflation and such.

And so he was tasked with doing it.

And I think that the voters just didn't see enough turn around and and, you know, money in their in their pockets.

Quick enough.

>> As Murphy, how did national issues play a role in the state and the county elections?

Well, they definitely played a role.

I mean, just and messaging.

If you can't see you again, if you're gonna raise prices on everybody, you gotta be able to sell it.

If you can't sell it, you're going to pay for it.

Locally in Illinois, Republicans localized issues.

Democrats nationalized issue.

So Republicans talked about how.

Why Democrats in Springfield, we're raising your taxes, driving out your neighbors, your jobs, your businesses.

Democrats talked about how Republicans had not delivered on national public not delivered on the promises they made to lower your gas and grocery prices.

Well, Democrats really never.

It was a cost of living was the dominant.

That was the number one message.

So 0, 9 Democrats really had never before this election promise to lower gas and grocery costs.

They promise to protect your pension.

They promise to deliver services.

They say that they care more, but they sometimes they say they're going raise your taxes, but they sell it.

They sell it.

It's all about the If you're going to ask young people who living paycheck to paycheck are trying to make it to pay more for stuff you have got to make a compelling case for that or you're going to pay for it.

And that's exactly what happened.

And then, of course, the in Iran having been a major issue.

Do you think it's just a matter of the messaging on that issue being better?

>> I think that I think they didn't make the case for that.

Look, Trump didn't happen.

That's what they needed to make the case.

And they needed to say this is why we need to do this.

This is why you're going to be paying more for a little while.

That's exactly what Elena National Republicans didn't make the case on.

it wasn't that Trump had no one's.

This is the flip side of that.

It wasn't that Trump had no winds.

There were things that would be very important to major parts of his his vote, voting base.

They 2 months ago pulled all American troops out of Iraq.

He closed the Crime is down nationally.

Minority employment is at historic highs.

These are things that are important to his voters.

And you're saying that the president is campaign strategy failure.

So lots of loud, much about the policies themselves.

But more about all that.

There a lot of things.

But on the messaging.

There are lots of lessons to be learned to go into 2028.

And I hope that we do.

In the meantime, Democrats should land they didn't make promises on affordability and take that lesson to they better deliver on affordability going into 2028 that's going to be messaged against them.

>> Secretary LaHood, President said before the primary he part of his campaign speech was, quote, pretend I'm on the ballot.

What impact you think that had?

>> I think if you look at the rallies, the president Roh care that they were enormously successful in terms of bringing people out.

The message President Trump should have really been talking about why he going in the tour and he's continuing work on affordability.

What he's trying to with energy I think if that would have been his motion probably would have been more helpful.

This was an extraordinarily bad year.

It's a bad year when the party in the White House, has an off year election.

The party, Democratic Party recruit good candidates.

Their message was spot on for what people thinking about in terms of energy prices, grocery prices and message during the day.

>> Richard Porter, same question to you.

What impact do you think the president had been telling voters to vote like he's on the ballot?

>> Well, I do think that this is a question of both policy and personnel.

I mean, it was a personality issue with the people had with Donald Trump and they were unhappy with some of the residual effects of some of our policies.

That is what it is.

But moving forward, we have to make it very clear.

The Democrats are the party of the $500,000 self-cleaning toilet.

Okay.

That's the price of a house and the Democrats who ran on the idea of making government more affordable are spending your money in a way that makes absolutely no sense.

I received dozens of mailers which is kind of nuts anyway in a state like All from Democrats emphasizing how they were going to make life more affordable.

This is the party that raises your property taxes.

This is the party that had 53 tax increases in the last 4 years.

This is not a part of this.

Make it less expensive make it more expensive.

We have to hold the Democrats to their own book of rules.

If they said they're gonna make life more affordable, we need to hold their feet to the fire and show the ways in which they're not making life more affordable and >> Well, in and with you for a second, Richard Porter, to, you know, to your point with affordability being a key concern and your concern that Democrats are actually going to make life more expensive because their taxing policies.

Why do you think that messaging of of, you know, Democrats running on affordability, it's still lead to wins for them.

>> No, I did.

And I think a lot of that is because people are focused on diesel prices and diesel prices were impacted by the war look the war against Iran if its stopping them from having a nuclear weapon threaten all of us.

And that's a sacrifice that it was the right call for the president to make.

The issue is is that the president has a habit of puffing and exaggerating in Everythings was fabulous and amazing.

We finish the war in a day.

so I think his messaging and sometimes 2, if you will certain, you know, he's a very positive guys.

The power of positive thinking kind of guy, sometimes the American people just need to hear it straight.

And I think that the American people are willing to make sacrifices when they understand what the causes for.

And I think fortunately, there were so many years of so many, you know, warnings about a run.

It became like the boy that cried, Wolf.

I think most Americans don't have to believe that the Iran war was necessary.

I think that's why they were reacting to diesel prices in such a negative way.

election cycle.

>> Secretary LaHood, you've experienced several wave elections been in politics a long time.

What to you stands out about this one?

>> I think that Democrats recruit good candidates.

They are well funded.

Their message was a we need to change the and they convinced voters states that they've never won elections in like Texas to just earlier today, Mississippi elected the first black, Democratic senator in the history of the state.

You saw what happened in Michigan so they have the resources.

They have the message in an otherwise terrible year for Republicans.

All of the stars lined exactly the way they should have the line Democrats prevailed.

>> Mr.

Grogan want to go ahead, Richard, going to point out fire and Daniels is the first first black governor of the state of Florida, Republican, a proud Republican.

So I think this is a sign that's how we've moved forward.

Burke.

If you're a black voter, you don't need to be a Democrat.

You come Republican Party, we watch you.

We need your votes.

We need to be a part of our leadership team.

>> Lots of history-making throughout the country with this particular election, Mr.

Grogan what timeline to the party be looking at for trying to flip statewide offices in Illinois?

Can it happen in 2028?

>> There wouldn't be state wide offices and Illinois in Twenty-twenty.

It's none of it.

And yes, In 2028 to use it statewide.

So statewide say White's 3rd, 2031. you know, we you know, we have 4 years to prep.

You know what?

I think that really is our advantage is, as you know, we're talking about how, you know, Republicans, the I think that the Republicans were sent a message to voters, much of the independent voters.

I think that they actually decide to send Republicans a message that they weren't happy.

And unfortunately, I think unfortunately, but to our advantage, the Democrats are going to take this as a mandate to their policies that every crazy idea that there that they're sociology teacher was talking to him about in college like they're going to think that that is an endorsement of that.

And so they're going to try and remove local zoning laws and they're going to, you you know, who thinks that life as an affordable because we don't we just read drink, distribute free enough, right?

I mean, so they're going to come up with every here, bring screen idea and we're going to overreach and we're going to be there to point that out and hold their feet to the fire as Murphy, where in the state of the party be looking to rebuild in the suburbs.

>> We lost way too much.

Unlike Kendall County and will county.

We've got to build back there and you've got great Republicans who are still in office who we should elevate and we should be talking about as much as possible because the way we rebuild brand is to build trust and that is that's all going to be down that communication.

we just need to find those Republicans and talk about them as much as we possibly And the secretary mentioned that the Democrats had, you know, strong candidates.

>> We have strong candidates to and it didn't matter, you know, like every candidate, you know, which is that they were better.

You know, he's so you can always come up with a better team.

>> But truly, we had great public servants.

The last.

And so it wasn't just a matter that they had better candidates by any destruction matter.

This was history repeats itself.

I mean, I know people think that that, you know, every generation thinks that they've been vetted, vetted rebel units, right?

But if it does nothing is new.

It all comes around to keep Every generation drugs as But like this happens every midterm.

You know, when White House is controlled by a party and they come against, you know, it's this historic and Obama.

His first midterm was bigger losses than this one was.

>> Ksat idea for some to your feet and then and then how I can I do think that whatever program we put in place to elevate candidates what or whatever else we do, Don Tracy put in place election integrity program when he was in office that brought in people from all parts of the party to unite the party.

And that was a good idea.

Whatever we put in place should be multi cycles that we need to be thinking longer term about it, about whatever we do.

Then just one side.

happened one cycle, we're live one Exactly.

Richard Porter, go ahead.

>> I was just going to add the 2010 is Bob was saying Barack Obama incurred worst losses, the nest and he came back in 2012 to win 1986.

The Republicans lost 8 Senate seats.

We can back in 1988 with George HW Bush to win the presence of that year.

So look, I think that this is a dark day for the Republican Party.

There's no question, but it's also the reality that our police things that we promote.

They go back to the core of what it means to be an American.

And there questions of common sense.

So I do think that we have an opportunity in 2028 to bounce back to retake the presidency.

But we need to organize around and support the best candidates possible.

And we have to have peace and prosperity would come into that election year.

>> Secretary LaHood, what can sticking with national for just a little bit?

What can a Democrat controlled Congress accomplished under Mr?

Trump, what can Mr Trump accomplish when he does not have the Congress?

>> President Democrats will make a big mistake investigating President Trump and all of his family members and all of his care that spend a lot of time on the investigations.

>> And a little time on the issues that people care about fixing our immigration system, working on trying to whittle down a 40 trillion dollar that trying to do something about energy prices trying to do something about affordability.

>> If they if they error, which I think they just the 18 everybody.

brother and that will be big, big opportunity for Republicans 2 told the American people we're we're ready to solve some of these problems that you're concerned about.

Can I just make a point about Illinois?

I remember the days when the Republican Party controlled every office in Illinois from governor to Lieutenant Governor, the secretary of state crews are comptroller Attorney general.

>> These these waiver elections occur from time to time.

Do not despair.

Republicans that are watching this program.

We will be back.

We have to come together, recruit good candidates from them, Illinois.

A one time was a Republican state not only our delegation and crackers, but all of our statewide offices.

>> I want to I want to talk briefly before or at a time about something that he just mentioned.

You got to fund your candidates Mr.

Grogan past mega donors have included Bruce Rauner.

Richard, you line they did not contribute as much to state races this cycle.

On the other hand, of course, sitting Governor JB Pritzker chipped in about 90 million dollars.

How can Illinois Republicans overcome that discrepancy?

>> You know, if it was an the Democrats would be winning every time.

But it's I mean, the the RNC had more money than Democrats did on a national level and approved out not to be as effective.

That so, you know, look, JB Pritzker is not going to be on the scene, you know, using his overseas trust fund for the rest of for too much longer with.

That's a common understanding that, you know, he has is he's looking the shaking her head and looking over your shoulder at for president.

And you know, so that won't always be the case.

And but we have to the Republicans are always about being efficient.

And that's not just your tax dollars and also has to be with campaign donations as Murphy.

What's the message and what should the messaging be to potential donors?

>> to potential donors, I mean, you you want to start with.

I think was a really good person actually, because he's been a lot of but he's a good person He understands his 12.

You want to start of last gets right for questions.

How much do you need?

What is this?

What how much you need who decided that?

what?

What?

What?

for what is this going to be used for?

And so?

Strategically, the party leaders need to sit down and answer those for questions and take a look at who are we going to be sitting down with?

And I we doing town halls with mid-level donors.

Are we gonna talk to the grassroots?

we going what do players?

So we got about 30 seconds left because I think you might know the holidays are coming up and I want to get to Secretary LaHood, you and your son, U.S.

Representative Darin LaHood.

You can have no opinions on opposite sides.

But still, you know, the GOP spectrum.

>> How do you think Thanksgiving is going to go this year in about 30 seconds, sir?

>> I think it's going to be very joyous.

Cause there and won with 59% of the vote he's doing a great job.

very proud of him we'll have lots of discussions about a lot of issues.

But on Thanksgiving, we feel blessed and we will think.

Through our prayers and our good wishes to one another for the family that we have and the friends we have the good good people that are around That is a good place to