GOP appeal | The Salt Lake Tribune

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The crowd at Gov. Mitt Romney's election night party spoke volumes — a sea of white. If the Republican Party is to remain viable in presidential contests, it must realize there aren't enough old, white guys in the electorate for it to win. It must also appeal to people of color, unmarried women and young people.

It should also be clear by now that cynically opposing equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people is no longer a path to victory.

Already, powerful Republican voices are contending that they lost the past two presidential elections because the nominee wasn't sufficiently conservative.

This in the face of a number of Republican losses, in both the Senate and House, by very conservative and tea party candidates, such as Richard Mourdock in Indiana, Todd Akin in Missouri, Joe Walsh in Illinois and Allen West in Florida. Minnesota's tea party Rep. Michelle Bachman barely held on to her seat. In many races, a more moderate Republican candidate would have easily won.

If the extreme-right voices prevail, the Republican Party will be well on its way to irrelevance.

Steve Woodall

Salt Lake City