Ousted Republican Congressman warns GOP to 'wake up': The party is being held hostage by Trump

Mark Sanford a Republican representative from South Carolina warned that after a devastating midterm lost for Republicans that it's time for the GOP to wake up in an article for The New York Times.

Sanford lost his primary race to Katie Arrington. Arrington lost the midterm election to Democrat Joe Cunningham.

"In sports, the team that loses is the team that studies the game-day tapes the hardest. In the military, it’s called an after-action review. Businesses that don’t examine loss die," Sanford said. "But somehow in politics, it’s different. Too often, political figures simply blame the other side — or at least someone besides themselves."

Sanford said that his South Carolina town will be represented by a Democrat for the first time in 10 years.

"But three things made this race different — things that could prove instructive for Republicans if we choose to look at them," he said. "The Republican playbook has changed, and it damages Republicans in suburban districts."

"As Republicans, we’ve drifted from our roots. The party, in fact, has a remarkable legacy on conservation and the environment — and this race suggests we should recommit ourselves to it," he wrote.

He explained, "One of the underpinnings of the Republican Party has long been financial responsibility, but here, again, the party has drifted. The president has done very little to trim the size of the federal government or entitlement spending, even as he asks for more money for corn farmers hit by his tariffs."

"The Republican Party that so many of us care deeply about continues to be held hostage these days, and what I saw last week in a district I grew up in and know well is that there is a half-life to insults, bullying and an embrace of a post-truth world," he said.

He warned that the GOP needs to wake up and get back to the roots of their Party.

"They don’t want to condone behavior that is counter to what they’ve taught their children. Republicans got a wake-up call last week. But will we wake up?"

Read the full article here.