London , Oct 30 (ANI): After being hammered by the Democrats in the Nov 4 presidential poll, the Republican Party will be left in wilderness for up to 12 years, a senior black Republican has warned.

Michael Steele, a rising star in the party and one of its most prominent African Americans, said the first challenge for the Republicans was to admit that their demise was all of their own making. He urged a David Cameron-style reinvention to broaden the partys appeal in the near future.

We could very well be looking at a situation where we don”t get it back by 2016 or even 2020. So we could be looking at 12 years out like the Tories. They went through a long dark winter of reassessment and realignment, but now David Cameron has got himself in a position where he looks like he is going to be the next prime minister, The Telegraph quoted Steele as saying.

Praising Cameroon for combining toughness and a delicate touch and having the wisdom to listen to the people of England , he said: I have marveled how the Tory leadership has been able to do that. That is the model for the Republican Party to regenerate ourselves and move forward.

As head of training for Republican Congressional candidates, Steele holds a key position in the party. He is likely to be involved heavily in reviving the party, which lost control of both the House of Representatives and Senate in the 2006 midterm elections and is set to see the Democratic majority grow in both chambers next week, when all 435 House seats and 30 senate seats are up for grabs.

Like Margaret Thatcher and the Tories, the Republicans dominated the US Congress (though not always the White House) through the 1980s and 1990s, running as the party of low taxes, fiscal control and small government. But, after too long in power the party lost its way. “After George W Bush was elected we became the party of big government,” said Steele. (ANI)