OXON HILL, Md. – Tired of election defeats, conservatives are searching for their next Mr. or Mrs. Right.
They say they want a leader brash enough to protect conservative orthodoxy and open-minded enough to help the Republican Party change its image: white, old, and male. And there’s no shortage of Republicans angling to fill a void in party leadership as the GOP’s future dominates the sideline discussion during a three-day summit of conservative leaders.
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From the dozens of luminaries on stage to the thousands of activists crowding hallways, Republicans at this week’s Conservative Political Action Conference are looking for a way forward for a party that has lost four of the past six presidential elections. For many, the path to 2016 begins with a lesson drawn from Mitt Romney’s failed presidential bid: They want a candidate who stays true to conservative principles but also pushes a more inclusive message. They acknowledge it’s a delicate balance.
“We ran the wrong candidate,” 58-year-old South Dakotan Bob Fischer said Thursday as the conference began at Maryland’s National Harbor, just south of Washington. “We need a Republican Party with backbone.”
But that’s not all. His sentiment was echoed in interviews with a dozen conservatives. But most also called for leadership that attracts a more diverse electorate – particularly the Hispanic voters who helped President Barack Obama win re-election last fall.
These conservatives say they’re encouraged by the Republican leaders who stacked the speaking program, potential as well as presidential candidates among them. There was, it seemed, a broad recognition that the party must evolve to find success in the coming elections. A banner across the conference stage signaled change might be afoot: “America’s future: the next generation of conservatives.”
“The GOP of old has grown stale and moss-covered,” said Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who headlined Thursday’s speaking program along with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. Rubio said the party needs to aim its message at middle-class families, adding: “There has to be a home and a movement in America for people who believe in limited government, constitutional principles and a free enterprise system, and that should be us.”
The conference in some ways presented a clash of new and old. Plenty of possible 2016 presidential contenders were on hand, including Rubio, Paul, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. But the gathering also is featuring appearances by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Donald Trump, outspoken conservatives who still carry weight with the party’s most passionate voters for their vigorous criticism of the Obama administration. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who praised Obama’s hurricane response last fall, wasn’t invited.
At the same time, not complete agreement on how to reach out, either. There is concern here – just as with other Republicans across the nation – that the party may become too inclusive in the name of winning election.
“I’m a firm believer that if the Republican Party is going to have some success, it’s going to do so by being a conservative party and not a home for everybody. That’s how you grow,” Al Cardenas, chairman of the American Conservative Union, said Thursday.
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