Tarrant County GOP leaders discuss midterm losses

A group of Tarrant County Republicans, including former Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price, says the party needs to earn back people's trust after voters overwhelmingly chose Democrats during the last week's midterm elections. Fox 4's Peyton Yeager spoke with one of the Republicans leading this charge tonight. Peyton. Steve, a political shift here in Tarrant County is prompting some current and former Republican elected officials to take a step back, take a look at their own party in a new open letter to Tarrant County voters. They acknowledge the losses and also say they want to reconnect with voters. The party took a butt whipping that frankly we deserved and now it's on us to fix ourselves. Former mayor of Southlake John Huffman says the first step for the Republican party post midterms reconcile and reassess. This week Huffman and a list of other top Tarrant County Republicans signed this open letter titled 'To the people of Tarrant County'. It reads, the election results were a message as loud and clear as is possible to send. A party cannot take its voters for granted and expect to be given more power. This was not necessarily a realignment of a county as a state's political values. This was a rejection of a political party, the Republican Party. We led with a nominee that I think charitably can be called one of the most corrupt politicians in Texas history. At the top of the ticket, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton losing to State Rep James Talarico in the U.S. Senate race. Tarrant County, for years, considered the largest Republican county in America. But Democrats swept on election night, winning all 17 contested countywide races. In January, Democrats take control of the county commissioner's court with a 4-1 majority. Despite a mid-decade redistricting plan last year, former county judge Tim O'Hare hoped would increase conservative leadership on the court. Huffman calling for fresh leadership from Tarrant County GOP. And less interparty fighting. The reality is the voters don't care about our little squabbles. And if we continue to make ourselves a smaller and smaller tent, then we will continue to find ourselves in the minority. Let other Republicans in Fort Worth know, hey, you're not alone. Like, you're not the only one that's tired of this behavior. Fort Worth Council Member Charlie Lowersdorf also backed the letter, meeting Fox 4 Thursday afternoon at an intersection under construction in his district, District 4. Worry about what matters most, our public safety, our infrastructure, our cost of living, our quality of life. But the message comes as Democrats prepare to take the reins of county government. I hope that those Republicans who are still there, they do work with the Democrats. They reach across the aisle. They work together. I'm not saying they have to get along on every subject. They don't even have to agree on every subject. But ultimately, they do have to work together. And like you mentioned Steve, former mayor of Fort Worth Betsy Price also co signed this letter along with other former mayors, precinct chairs and also school board members here in Tarrant County. Now, Tarrant County GOP has not responded publicly to this letter at this time.