阿里·弗莱舍(Ari Fleischer)周二告诉福克斯新闻，在得克萨斯州众议员麦克·索恩伯里成为该州第六位宣布他在当前任期结束后退休的共和党众议员后，共和党应该对此感到担忧。
“共和党人应该担心，”前总统乔治·布什的新闻秘书弗莱舍在2007年警告说面试在美国新闻编辑室。“听着，2018年选举中发生了什么，如果有任何迹象的话，那就是共和党有问题，尤其是在达拉斯、休斯顿等郊区的受过大学教育的郊区。”
弗莱舍尔指出，休斯顿一个人口受过高等教育的地区，在共和党执政约30年后，在2018年的选举中颠覆了民主党。“这令人担忧，”他说。
索恩伯里周一在推特上宣布退休，他写道:“然而，我们被提醒‘凡事都有一个季节’，我认为是时候改变了。因此，这是我在美国众议院的最后一个任期。”这位国会议员在1994年首次加入立法机构后已经任职13届。
在索恩伯里之前，德克萨斯州的另外五名共和党人已经宣布他们不会在2020年寻求连任。总的来说，十几个来自全国各地的共和党人公开声明，他们不会参加他们选区的下一次竞选。德克萨斯州的其他共和党议员包括众议员迈克·康威、威尔·赫德、肯尼·马尔尚、比尔·弗洛雷斯和皮特·奥尔森。
然而，我们被提醒，“每件事都有一个季节”，我相信改变的时候到了。因此，这是我在美国众议院的最后一个任期。”
尽管弗莱舍指出了共和党难以吸引受过高等教育的选民的担忧，但其他人警告说，该党也未能吸引少数族裔。
赫德是目前唯一在众议院任职的黑人共和党人，也是即将卸任的得克萨斯州议员之一，他今年夏天表示，他的政党需要在接触少数族裔方面做得更好。
“我不应该是众议院中唯一的非裔美国共和党人，”国会议员说告诉全国广播公司新闻七月。
“我一直在告诉人们，如果我们想让共和党留在德州，德州的共和党需要开始变得像德州，”他在采访中后来补充道。“我认为这也适用于这个国家的其他地方。”
政治分析家认为德克萨斯州可能在不久的将来会失去其坚定的共和党形象。他们指出，在过去几年里，民主党在该州的选举中取得了一些重大胜利。随着六名共和党现任者退居二线，民主党人希望将几个席位从红色变为蓝色。
FORMER BUSH AIDE TELLS FOX NEWS 'REPUBLICANS SHOULD BE WORRIED' AFTER SIXTH TEXAS GOP CONGRESSMAN ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT
Ari Fleischer told Fox News on Tuesday that the Republican Party should be concerned after Representative Mac Thornberry of Texas became the sixth GOP congressman from his state to announce his plans to retirement at the end of his current term.
"Republicans should be worried," Fleischer, who served as former President George W. Bush's press secretary, warned during an interview on America's Newsroom. "Look, what happened in the 2018 election, if that's any indication, it's that Republicans have a problem, particularly in college educated suburban areas around suburban areas around Dallas, Houston, etc."
Fliescher pointed out that a Houston district, which has a highly educated population, flipped Democratic in the 2018 election after being Republican for about three decades. "This is worrisome," he said.
Announcing his retirement on Twitter on Monday, Thornberry wrote: "We are reminded, however, that 'for everything there is a season,' and I believe that the time has come for a change. Therefore, this is my last term in the U.S. House of Representatives." The congressman had served 13 terms after first joining the legislative body back in 1994.
Prior to Thornberry, five other Republicans from Texas had already announced that they would not seek reelection in 2020. In total, more than a dozen Republicans from across the country have stated publicly that they will not stand in their constituencies' next races. The other GOP lawmakers from Texas stepping down include Representatives Mike Conway, Will Hurd, Kenny Marchant, Bill Flores and Pete Olson.
"We are reminded, however, that "for everything there is a season," and I believe that the time has come for a change. Therefore, this is my last term in the U.S. House of Representatives."
While Fleischer pointed to concerns about the GOP struggling to attract voters with higher education, others have warned that the party is failing to attract minorities as well.
Hurd, who is currently the only black Republican serving in the House of Representatives and is one of the Texas lawmakers stepping aside, said this summer that his party needs to do a better job at reaching minorities.
"I shouldn't be the only African American Republican in the House of Representatives," the congressman told NBC News in July.
"I've been telling people, if we want to keep the Republican Party in Texas, the Republican Party in Texas needs to start looking like Texas," he added later in the interview. "And I think that this is—that goes for the rest of the country as well."
Political analysts have suggested that Texas may in the near future lose its staunchly Republican image. They have pointed out that Democrats have had some significant victories in elections in the state over the past few years. With six Republican incumbents stepping aside, Democrats will hope to flip several seats from red to blue.
