Former Rep. Carlos Curbelo
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Curbelo and former Sen. Jeff Flake
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In his opening address, Curbelo said that by embracing former President Trump’s electoral claims that preceded the January 6 attack on the Capitol, the GOP had lost credibility and damaged democracy.
‘Here we only have two [political parties] and for one to be able to hold the other accountable, it must be viable. It must be credible. With a majority of the country’s voters, it should be a reasonable choice for most people, ”said Curbelo. “And the problem we have in our democracy today is that the Republican Party is losing that position. Why? Because it has lost its way. Because it is a party overrun with lies and fear. “
A moderate conservative, Curbelo lost his South Florida swing district in 2018 by only about 4,000 votes in what was a big year for the Democrats.
He has emerged as a vocal critic of Trump and the direction of the GOP.
In the Intelligence Squared debate, he argued that many members of Congress know that Trump’s election claims are false, but they lack the courage to stand up to him, knowing it could cost them their seats.
“Most Congressional Republicans will privately acknowledge this,” Curbelo said. And again, that’s the problem, people don’t tell the camera what they’re telling their friends. Why? Because Donald Trump turned the Republican Party into a personal club to advance his interests and even to question or challenge free and fair election results. And in doing so, it sparked a riot that resulted in the defilement of one of the greatest structures in the history of democratic government and the death of five people. “
“If we want to have an honest talk about the Republican Party, we have to face this crisis, this cancer that prevents many Republicans, and not all, from telling people the truth, to be fair to the voters, and from decent serve, ”he added.
Flake, who clashed with Trump before retiring in 2018, said Republicans would suffer electoral losses in the future if the party continues to hold Trump as leader.
Flake noted that the Republicans lost the White House, House, and Senate under Trump, while losing both Senate seats in the formerly redheaded states of Arizona and Georgia.
Republicans unexpectedly picked up House seats in 2020, and Trump was the first Republican in decades to win Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin in 2016.
But the former Arizona senator said more than 140,000 people registered as Republicans changed their registrations after the Jan. 6 riot, including 10,000 in his home state.
“Despite all this winning, I don’t know where it is,” said Flake. “We are clearly lost as Republicans. We cannot go on unless we first recognize the truth. We’ve lost our way. We can take care of it and must come back as a party. We have to give them that choice. “
Trump will address the Conservative Political Action Conference on Sunday in his first major speech since his tenure. The former president is expected to talk about the future of conservatism and the Republican Party.
Trump retains widespread support with a strong majority of the party, and he would be the priceless favorite to win the GOP nomination for 2024 if he decides to run again.
Some in the party, including the leader of the minorities in the senate Mitch McConnell
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Frustrated by Trump’s election claims, they say the focus on the fraud allegations cost Republicans their two Senate seats in Georgia and ultimately a majority in the Senate.
The Trump campaign lost dozens of lawsuits in destroying Democratic votes or destroying election results in key swing states before a pro-Trump mob looted the Capitol while Electoral College votes were in progress.
A new poll by the R Street Institute found that two-thirds of all Republicans consider the 2020 election invalid.