Republicans did worse than widely expected in last week's midterm elections because part of the party is in the grips of extremism, outgoing Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said in a new interview.
The two-term governor made the comments in a rare national interview, a sit-down with CNN's Jake Tapper that aired Monday. He said voters "aren't interested in extremism," especially in so-called battleground states -- where Republicans lost key Senate elections -- but want elected officials willing to work across the aisle.
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"You need to demonstrate, in word and deed, that this is always going to be about more than just your party and your partisans," Baker said, saying voters look for people who are reasonable, collaborative and who accept that democracy is fundamentally about deciding things as a group.
A moderate Republican, Baker didn't run for reelection this year despite often being named in polls as the most popular governor in America. He didn't appear to have the support of the Massachusetts GOP, which would have made winning the primary difficult, and he didn't endorse the Trump-endorsed Republican who ran to replace him -- and who lost by double digits -- amid differences over the direction of the party.
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He cited the fact that a majority of Massachusetts voters aren't enrolled in either party -- "a big statement" about people wanting more options than simply die-hard Democrats and Republicans Baker said.
Some congressional candidates backed by President Donald Trump in toss-up states failed to win their races, including Dr. Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania and Adam Laxalt in Nevada.
Trump is set to make an announcement about his future, which some expect to be another run for president, but Baker said it's time for the party to move on.
"I think one of the messages from the election is, for Republicans generally, is we need as a party to move past President Trump and to move on to an agenda that represents the voices of all those in the party and the people of the country," Baker said.
The governor, who hasn't announced his plans after he leaves office, said the future of "our party" should involve reaching out to independents, rather than rallying people through social media echo chambers that don't reach the vast majority of the public.
Asked whether he thinks top Republicans would agree with that message, Baker replied, "I think the voters of the United States agree with what I said, and I think that's a pretty powerful force."
