House Republicans are preparing for life in the minority after eight years in power, and the incoming chairman of their campaign arm is tasked with figuring out a way to regain the majority in 2020.

Rep. Tom EmmerThomas (Tom) Earl EmmerHouse Republicans voice optimism on winning back the House following special election victories GOP pulls support from California House candidate over ‘unacceptable’ social media posts Trump campaign launches new fundraising program with House Republicans MORE (R-Minn.), who will be the new head of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) for the 2020 election cycle, has his work cut out for him following a stinging midterm election last month, when Democrats netted at least 40 seats, picking up wins in districts from eastern Virginia and southern California to deep-red Kansas and Texas that have long been GOP strongholds.

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That means Republicans would need to win back at least 18 seats in 2020 in order to retake control of the House. A handful of races from the 2018 midterm elections are still undecided.

Emmer, who is succeeding Rep. Steve StiversSteven (Steve) Ernst StiversGOP lawmakers say Steve King’s loss could help them in November Longtime GOP Rep. Steve King defeated in Iowa primary Five things to watch in Tuesday’s primaries MORE (R-Ohio) as NRCC chairman, said in an interview with The Hill last week that Republicans will need to counter Democrats’ fundraising levels, improve the party’s messaging strategy and put an added focus on attracting strong candidates.

“They recruited great candidates with great resumes with no voting records,” Emmer said. “Now I think they’re going to run into some challenges because they also recruited people that really aren’t good fits with their party on that side of the aisle.”

He emphasized that Republicans will need to recruit candidates who reflect their districts, saying that might involve recently defeated lawmakers running for their old seats. Emmer said he plans to start making phone calls to those lawmakers in January, and he listed about two dozen districts he feels are winnable or in play for 2020 after flipping from red to blue last month, including Illinois’s 14th Congressional District, New York’s 11th and 22nd districts, Virginia’s 2nd and Oklahoma’s 5th.

“We’re going to have to win those back in two years and I believe we will,” he said. “Then you’ve got a handful that we should win back with the right candidate, maybe the candidate that represented the district before — we don’t know yet.”

Democrats were widely praised for fielding a diverse crop of candidates to run in last month’s midterms, which contributed to a record number of women running for office.

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Rep.-elect Sharice DavidsSharice DavidsBiden launches program to turn out LGBTQ vote Minority caucuses call for quick action on police reform Gun control group rolls out House endorsements MORE (D), the first lesbian Native American to be elected to Congress, unseated GOP Rep. Kevin YoderKevin Wayne YoderSharice Davids to vote for Trump impeachment articles: ‘The facts are uncontested’ Feehery: How Republicans can win back the suburbs K Street giants scoop up coveted ex-lawmakers MORE (R-Kan.), and Rep.-elect Lucy McBathLucia (Lucy) Kay McBathFloyd’s brother urges Congress to take action The Hill’s Campaign Report: Bad polling data is piling up for Trump Trayvon Martin’s mother Sybrina Fulton qualifies to run for county commissioner in Florida MORE (D-Ga.), an African-American woman and gun-control activist, upset Rep. Karen HandelKaren Christine HandelJon Ossoff to challenge David Perdue after winning Georgia Democratic primary The Hill’s Campaign Report: Bad polling data is piling up for Trump Ossoff within reach of Democratic Senate nomination in Georgia, but counting continues MORE (R) to win the seat once held by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R).

Emmer said Republicans need to focus on bringing in diverse ideas as much as they need to bring in diverse candidates.

“We want more women, we want more people of color, yes. But you know what — we seek people that have a diversity of ideas,” he said. “We don’t care in the end about their gender, about their religion, about their race — that shouldn’t be the defining factor of any human being. It should be what they bring to the table and share their ideas.”

Republicans will also be focused on winning back suburban districts, where Democrats had overwhelming success last month. Political strategists say much of that Democratic success came from voters rebuking President TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE and a losing GOP message on health care.

Emmer acknowledged that GOP shortcoming, saying Republicans could have done a better job messaging on health care and pre-existing conditions.

“We should have had a plan long ago as to how we were going to address this issue so that we were prepared for the midterm and we didn’t — we never had a plan,” Emmer said.

Linking Republicans to Trump was a top campaign tactic for Democrats during the midterms, and it’s one that could prove successful again in 2020.

Navigating personality fights in the Trump era has proven difficult for many GOP lawmakers, and Emmer said that listening to constituents and focusing on how they will address their district’s needs will be key to winning back swing districts.

“We need to be talking to them,” he said. “We need to be defending their voice as opposed to somebody else’s.”

“I mean there’s all kinds of good news, but what were we doing to sell that good news?” he said. “Because it’s not just about the resources, it’s about the message and the communication of that message and who’s doing it.”

He said he’d also like to see House lawmakers stay away from getting wrapped up in fights over personalities and place a focus on effectively messaging what the party brings to the table.

“It is not our job to defend personalities or individuals. It’s our job to represent the people that hire us,” he said. “We support policies, we support things that improve people’s lives. That’s what we should be defending. Don’t get into the personality fight.”

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