Not so many years ago, I was hardly an outlier. But the Republican playbook has changed, and it damages Republicans in suburban districts.

In the primary, Ms. Arrington criticized my stand against offshore drilling and my disagreement with President Trump’s plan to repeal a moratorium on offshore drilling — a moratorium that has held under Republican and Democratic presidents for 37 years. She attempted to pivot away from this stand in the general election, but voters didn’t forget, and Mr. Cunningham was able to use it as a wedge issue.

As Republicans, we’ve drifted from our roots. The party, in fact, has a remarkable legacy on conservation and the environment — and this race suggests we should recommit ourselves to it.

Two, financial irresponsibility proved a drag. Even in a hyperpartisan world, you still need reasons for traditional conservatives like myself to show up. It’s got to be more than the blue team is bad.

One of the underpinnings of the Republican Party has long been financial responsibility, but here, again, the party has drifted. The president has done very little to trim the size of the federal government or entitlement spending, even as he asks for more money for corn farmers hit by his tariffs. That’s hardly motivating for a traditional conservative. We need to once again be the party of not just lower taxes, but less spending.

Third, civility is important. What happened to Ronald Reagan’s notion of being a happy warrior? Like his policies or not, he was pleasant. He smiled. He joked. He played to optimism rather than fear. He and Tip O’Neill, the Democratic speaker of the House, had a famously strong working relationship despite their political differences.

The Republican Party that so many of us care deeply about continues to be held hostage these days, and what I saw last week in a district I grew up in and know well is that there is a half-life to insults, bullying and an embrace of a post-truth world.