A Northwest Reports limited series examines the present and future of Washington’s GOP. In this episode, moderate Republicans talk internal divisions.

Republicans won big in this year’s election. Republicans in Washington state, however ... That's a different story.  

In November, the country voted to reelect Donald Trump to the nation’s highest office; Republicans gained control of Congress; and most states experienced significant swings to the right. Washington also saw a slight rightward shift, but it wasn’t by much, and Democrats won all the statewide races.     

“The Elephant in the Room” is a three-part series that examines the state of Washington’s GOP through conversations with Republicans – who range from moderate to conservative – before, during and after the election. The series explores what it’s like to be red in a blue state; the divisions that exist between the more moderate and more conservative flanks of the party; what lies ahead for the Washington’s GOP; and how Trump fits into all of this.  

In the first episode, hosts Sara Bernard and Maleeha Syed speak with two people before the election who identify as Republicans but distance themselves from Trump: Chris Vance, who formerly chaired Washington’s Republican Party and this year worked as a Republican for Kamala Harris, and Deanna Martinez, who chairs the Mainstream Republicans of Washington. These two explore the discord between more moderate and more conservative Republicans in Washington ... and what another four years under Trump could mean for the state’s GOP.  

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Credits 

Host/Producer: Sara Bernard and Maleeha Syed 

Reporters:  Sara Bernard and Maleeha Syed 

Story editor: Ryan Famuliner

Executive producer: Sarah Menzies

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