Republicans realize that if they expect to have a shot at winning elections in the future, they must tone down the racism and recruit more women and people of color to run on the GOP ticket.
That's not an easy task, while President Donald Trump is attacking the victims of police brutality under the guise of a "law and order" campaign. Axios reported Sunday that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and other Republicans are seeing their ranks shrink to a cadre of angry white men.
"But McCarthy and other Republican lawmakers I interacted with on a campaign swing on the West Coast last week said violent protests around the country have been a game-changer in helping shift the conversation from racism to safety and security," said the report.
While the GOP may believe that the polling last week show that Trump's "law and order" message isn't working, and most believe he's making things worse. Suburban women, in particular, take issue with Trump's dealing of the situation. While support for Black Lives Matter has fallen, it doesn't mean support for Trump has increased. In fact, former Vice President Joe Biden is still the most trusted candidate to handle the issue.
McCarthy confessed that white men who supported Trump in 2016 have grown increasingly concerned about Trump's response to shootings of unarmed Black men.
Before the new polls were out, Mccarthy claimed, "White males are coming back. It doesn't mean they've changed their views about race in America ... but now they're afraid about their safety."
But Trump's response to people of color could spell long-term problems with the GOP.
"When you look ahead 20 years from now, our party will have to match what the country looks like," McCarthy told Axios.