After losing the presidential election last year and watching the Democrats take control of the House and Senate some Republicans across the nation are gathering to hear what one party historian said the party needs to do to come back.

Michael Zak, author of "Back to Basics for the Republican Party," came to Wood County Saturday to speak to Republicans at the Lincoln Day dinner Saturday night.

Zak said what the Republican party is missing is the knowledge of the principals the party was originally founded upon.

"The party was created to defend the United States Constitution and defend the American way of life and what they saw as a threat by a similar circumstance when the Democrats controlled the White House and had two thirds majority of the Congress," said Zak.

Zak noted the civil rights activists of the party who were involved in the anti-slavery and women's right to vote movements.

Zak who is a former foreign service officer said he couldn't find a history of the Grand Ole Party that wasn't written mostly by Democrats and that didn't make fun of the party so he wrote this book.