Longtime Rep. Chris Smith, who will be the only Republican in New Jersey’s congressional delegation in the next Congress, declined to say who he would support for GOP leader in next Tuesday’s election, and argued that Republicans can “build back” after their losses this midterm cycle.
“I talk to everyone,” he told reporters, when asked whether he would support Rep. Jim Jordan or House Majority Leader Steve Scalise to lead their conference in the next Congress, but he said they have “great people” who won’t give up as long as the GOP is in the minority.
Pressed for what he took away from the midterm elections, Smith noted that he has seen Congress change hands by wide margins several times since he came to Congress in the 1980s. “I think the pendulum is swinging from one side to the other, and you know we are absolutely committed to continuing to move forward,” he said.
“We’re rebuilding by staying very true to our principles, fighting hard for our agenda, and I think we will. I know we will. I mean, it’s been very difficult, even with, you know, just some margin differences over the last couple of years for our speaker,” Smith added.
Asked whether Republicans should have parted ways with President Donald Trump, Smith said: “I think we just need to stay focused on the issues that we care about. You know, we really want to turn this economy back. You know, we hope gas prices go down even more, I think when the war ends, Trump is right, they will fall precipitously.”
Asked if the election results were a rebuke to Trump and his administration’s policies, Smith said, “We’ll have to look back” when the dust settles. “I don’t think enough people realize the good that’s been done,” he continued.
Smith said he did not see the vice president’s comments that the war in Iran was to blame for the GOP’s losses. “I neither agree nor disagree. I think it’s always a factor because war is horrible, it should always be the solution of last resort,” he said, while insisting that war was necessary.
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