Republican Representative-elect Mike Lawler of New York called for the party to go in a “different direction” from former President Donald Trump during a Thursday CNN appearance.
Lawler said, “I think the president is going to make a determination as to what he wants to do with respect to running,” when “CNN This Morning” host Kaitlan Collins asked him about former Republican Rep. Peter King saying former President Trump should not be the face of the Republican Party.
“I would like to see the party move forward. I think anytime you — you know, are — are focused on the future, you can’t so much go to the past. And — and I think people are really excited about the opportunity to address the challenges that we’re facing as a country. And I think more focus needs to be on the issues and the substance of those issues than on personalities,” said Lawler.
Lawler defeated Democratic Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney of New York, the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Tuesday, one of several House seats Republicans won in the state during midterm elections where the party underperformed expectations.
Notable losses included that of Dr. Mehmet Oz to Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and retired general Don Bolduc, who failed to unseat Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire.
Trump-backed candidates also racked up wins in such contests as the Ohio Senate race, in which Republican J.D. Vance beat Rep. Tim Ryan (D), and the Utah Senate race, in which Sen. Mike Lee (R) kept his seat against independent challenger Evan McMullin.
“I think — I think moving in a — in a different direction as we move forward is a good thing, not a bad thing. But ultimately, look, the voters will decide what they want to do and the former president will decide what he wants to do,” Lawler said. “But I think my objective in going to Congress is to tackle these issues. I didn’t run on somebody else’s platform. I didn’t run to be a rubber stamp, I ran on the issues that are facing the American people and facing the people of the state of New York. And I have offered real solutions.”
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