Moderate Republican group targets suburbs in first endorsements of 2020 cycle

The Republican Main Street Partnership’s political action committee endorsed seven congressional candidates on Tuesday who the group hopes will take the first step toward winning back a GOP majority in the House.

The moderate Republican group is supporting Kate Gibbs in New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional district, Kathy Landing in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional district, Nicole Malliotakis in New York’s 11th Congressional district, Floyd McLendon in Texas’ 32nd Congressional district, Maria Elvira Salazar in Florida’s 27th Congressional district, Sara Hart Weir in Kansas’ 3rd Congressional district, and former Rep. David Young in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional district.

“It is no secret that the Republican Party is struggling in the suburbs,” Sarah Chamberlain, Republican Main Street Partnership CEO, said in a statement. “These candidates have been hand-picked because I am confident that their deep roots within their suburban communities and proven track-records of honest, collaborative leadership can bring Main Street Americans back home to the governing wing of the GOP.”

The seven candidates receiving the moderate Republicans’ endorsement are part of the “farm team” the Republican Main Street Partnership is building in hopes of winning a majority in the House of Representatives by 2022.

In addition to defeating Democratic candidates in tough swing-districts nationwide, the Republican Main Street Partnership may face staunch opposition from its right flank. The influential free-market advocates at Club for Growth, for example, have said they think “warmed-over, moderate Democrats” running as Republicans will fail.

To prepare its candidates to weather storms from the right and left, the Republican Main Street Partnership recently held a private candidate school in D.C., where its candidates listened to presentations from lawmakers, organized labor, from Ms. Chamberlain, and from Facebook on campaigning in the digital age.