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Republicans are able to compete despite the massive unpopularity of their positions thanks to two things:Actually, only about 25% of the country identifies as Republican. About 30% of the population identifies as Democratic. About 45% identifies as independent. The numbers fluctuate from time-to-time, but they stay around that rate. So the Republicans actually have an inherent demographic disadvantage. However, they're able to overcome this by appealing to conservative/moderate Democrats and independents. And the increasing Democratic reliance on identity politics alienates more and more of these people. So that's why they're still able to win these days despite having only about a quarter of the population identifying with them.
Source: https://news.gallup.com/poll/15370/party-affiliation.aspx
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voter_suppression_in_the_United_States
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/01/17/upshot/pennsylvania-gerrymandering.html
If you look at the polling, no one likes the policies Republicans are pushing. Majorities across the board support Democrat positions. More people vote Democrat than Republican in most elections, even with the voter suppression Republicans have been pushing relentlessly (see the recent Georgia announcement that they were closing down 7 out of 9 polling locations in a 60% black district? One of hundreds or thousands of examples). Despite that, somehow Republicans end up with majorities in the House and state legislatures.
The Republican Party does not care what most people want. They are brazenly anti-democratic. The party exists to say whatever identity politics nonsense will rile up their Fox News-viewing, mouth-breathing base enough to go vote for people who want to cut their SNAP, SS, Medicare, Medicaid, highway infrastructure, bridge maintenance, ethics watchdogs, clean air and water oversight, corporate malfeasance investigations, consumer protection watchdogs, election integrity commissions, and investigators to determine whether the sitting President and/or his campaign arranged a quid pro quo with a hostile foreign power.