Strong defeat of the candidate in the Republican runoff in the NC, causing a shock

Republican lawmakers have expressed dismay and disappointment at the heavy defeat suffered by a second-round North Carolina candidate, though she has secured significant bonds and has been supported by outside groups.

Dr. Joan Perry, a pediatrician in her first election, lost 20 points against state representative Greg Murphy, replacing the Republican candidate to replace the late representative. Walter JonesWalter Beaman JonesGreg Murphy Wins Second GOP Round for GOP Female GOP North Carolina Candidate (R) in the 3rd district of North Carolina.

Lawmakers said the magnitude of the loss highlighted the challenges Republicans face in recruiting and electing more women candidates after the number of Republican women legislators in the House rose from 23 to 13 after the elections at the mid-session of last year.

Lawmakers and outside groups have also promised to re-evaluate their strategy of recruiting female candidates at a time when Democrats have elected a record number of women among lawmakers last year, many of whom in the main suburbs as Republicans should win back to the House in 2020.

representative Jackie WalorskiJacqueline (Jackie) R. Walorski A Drugmaker Challenged the FDA in Animal Experimentation Lawmakers Urged to Resolve the Problem of Tax Legislation Some fear that in GOP, Buttigieg is coming to Governor PLUS (R-Ind.) Stated that she was "shocked" by the margin by which Perry lost the race, calling it a "raw reality" to face the challenges facing GOP women candidates. .

"It's just extremely difficult," she told The Hill about reducing the gap between GOP men and women. "Then we get together, we find out where we are missing, what the weaknesses are, and we take care of it."

Murphy had secured the support of a large number of renowned Republicans, including founding representatives of the Freedom Caucus. Mark MeadowsMark Randall MeadowsGreg Murphy wins the second round of the GOP for the North Carolina seat Cities lead the crackdown on face recognition technology Hillicon Valley: Trump is downgraded after a turnaround on Huawei | China installs surveillance applications on visitors' phones | Cloudflare Internet Provider Failed | Consumer groups seek to stop cryptocurrency Facebook PLUS (R-N.C.) And Jim JordanJames (Jim) Daniel Jordan Greg Greg Murphy Wins Second GOP Tour for DHS Representatives at North Carolina House Headquarters on Hillicon Valley Face Recognition Technology: Critics Push FTC to Show Severe on YouTube | Analysts expect regulatory problems for Facebook's cryptocurrency | Senators to Attend Election Security Information Session | The FBI and ICE reportedly used driver's license photos for facial recognition PLUS (R-Ohio), after the legislator promised to join the group if elected.

The House Freedom Action Fund, which is affiliated with the Freedom Caucus, spent $ 236,000 to defeat Perry.

Former mayor of New York City and Trump's confidant Rudy GiulianiRudy GiulianiChamber of Commerce hires a former contributor to the Giuliani campaign, Cruz Democratic debates launch the summer sprint of Iowa Pelosi did not return calls to Facebook's Zuckerberg after controversy over a video: report He also supported Murphy in the final days of the race, recording automated calls on behalf of the candidate.

However, Perry was not without funds and endorsements. She ended up collecting $ 373,851 for primary and runoff, below the $ 543,991 collected by Murphy.

But she had the support of various Republican women, including the Winning For Women Action Fund, who had dropped more than $ 680,000 to support Perry and oppose Murphy in the second round. .

And she has had notorious advances, including the support of the 13 women of the House Republic Conference and the widow of former representative Jones. Former Speaker of the House Newt GingrichNewton (Newt) Leroy GingrichMORE (R-Ga.) Also recorded a Robocall for her.

representative Susan BrooksSusan Wiant Brooks and Scott Scott lead efforts to recruit minority Conservative candidates Can a new US strategy on women, peace and security give women a real seat at the table? Ask the Afghan women The Congress must continue to fight against the opioid epidemic MORE (R-Ind.), Chairman of the Republican Congress National Committee Recruitment Committee, said the name recognition and the low participation rate in a special second round had favored Murphy.

Nevertheless, she acknowledged that the recruitment of more women was a major challenge, especially as state and local governments – where female candidates often took the lead – remained dominated by men. .

"As a party, we need to do better at the grassroots level, whether it is to encourage women to run for municipal councilors and county commissioners. We must then do more to help them at the state level. level, as state representatives, senators, etc. She told reporters Wednesday.

"And that's part of, I think, our challenge," she added.

Brooks surprised other lawmakers after announcing that she would retire at the end of her term, although she said she would remain president of the House Republican Recruitment.

representative Elise StefanikElise Marie StefanikFinally, GOP lawmakers prove that conservation and conservatism go hand in hand. The defense bill opposes the defense, Tim Scott, who is trying to recruit conservative candidates from a minority. MORE (R-N.Y.) – who launched a CAP to help GOP women in the primaries – sought to focus on the positive aspects of Perry's loss.

Stefanik particularly emphasized the need for the GOP to recruit more female candidates, even at the primary level.

"Promotions are difficult," she told The Hill. "The good news is that she has received a lot of support and that other candidates are realizing that there is a cavalry and that some members are willing to participate in these primaries."

"It's a challenge, but you know, I'm disappointed," she added.

Outside groups also said that they would need to reassess what was wrong with North Carolina runoff, but pledged to continue their recruitment efforts.

A spokesperson for Winning for Women said the organization was working to hold a meeting with party leaders and groups after Perry's defeat on Tuesday, but would continue to step up efforts to recruit more women candidates by 2020. , particularly in Brooks District.

Leader of the minority Kevin McCarthyKevin Owen McCarthyRepublican Republican Should Replace Amash At Amash Monitoring Station Resign From House GOP Conference, Control Group A New CBO Report Fueling Struggle For Minimum Wage PLUS (R-Calif.) Congratulated Perry despite his loss, saying it would not reduce the party's emphasis on recruiting female candidates.

"You look at Joan Perry, she was an excellent candidate, first candidate, pediatrician," McCarthy told reporters at a press conference held on Wednesday.

"The voters were able to make that decision, but she managed to do a second round without having run before. I congratulate both of them on the campaign, the way they ran the campaign too. Now, I think that from the beginning never having run before, it was a big improvement, and I'm looking forward to seeing more women elected to this new Republican Congress enter. "

Scott Wong has contributed