(Washington, D.C.) – "Tonight the American people made it clear that our party’s decision to ignore the middle of the American electorate was a disastrous one," said Sarah Chamberlain Resnick, Executive Director of the Republican Main Street Partnership. "For the last two years centrist GOPers have warned the leadership of our party of the consequences of pushing a legislative agenda cow-towing to the far right in our party. Our warnings were ignored, and now our party is paying a devastating price."

"Republican candidates all across the country were hit by Democratic ads attacking the GOP for failure to raise the minimum wage, failure to advance embryonic stem cell research, and failure to pass strong ethics and lobbying reform," continued Resnick. "If leadership had listened to our centrists members, we could have taken issues like this off the table. Centrist Republicans in the House and Senate pushed all session for an increase in the minimum wage, for expanded embryonic stem cell research, and for real ethics and lobbying reform."

"Ronald Reagan built a big tent party that attracted conservatives and moderates, Republicans and independents, and people from all across the country. In the last few years a small, but vocal minority, on the fringe of our party worked to destroy that big tent," said Resnick. "The Democrats realized something our leadership forgot, stole a page out of our playbook, and recruited candidates across the ideological spectrum. This election isn’t a repudiation of the GOP, it’s a repudiation of a handful of zealots, and a reminder that you can not build a majority party without securing the middle of the American electorate."

"What the extreme right of our party has worked to destroy – centrist Republicans will now step in and rebuild," continued Resnick. "The Republican Main Street Partnership is committed to bringing back Ronald Reagan’s Republican Party. The extreme right has had their turn at the wheel and the results have proven devastating for our party and our country."

                                                               ###