The New Mexico Republican Party’s presidential election celebration was more of a somber dinner party. That’s no surprise considering the NMGOP will not send any candidates to Washington in January.Party guests uttered half-joking sentiments like, "we can succeed," and "It’s over! It’s over!"Sen. Pete Domenici, who’s leaving the Senate after 35 years, offered Republicans some measure of comfort. He said the losing candidates were not to blame for their defeats. "We had the wind blowing at our faces," Domenici says. "When you’re down and out, it takes a little bit of time, and you’ll be back up."Attendee Michael Coopersmith says many Americans were looking for people to blame for the troubles America is facing. "They saw a Republican in the White House," Coopersmith says. "We have a Democratic Congress, but that doesn’t seem to matter."Republican Congressman Steve Pearce, who lost his bid for the Senate to Rep. Tom Udall, says he’s glad the race has come to a close. "I’m glad it’s over," Pearce says. "We’ve been on the campaign trail for 13 months, and it’s been very arduous."Pearce says he’s used to battling against tough odds. "You go into these things knowing that, as a Republican, you start out behind," Pearce says. "If you didn’t understand that, you would not get into the race." Pearce supporter Rebecca Dow predicts her party will be back. "Four years of Democrats in power without any checks and balances means it will be a great time for Republicans in four years," Dow says. "Things will look very promising."
Not A Very Good Party
2 min read
