There have been those who actually looked at facts, rather than simply writing articles, and found that many of the tired old Republican ideas such as taxes, regulations and foreign policy actually matter to most people.  You are correct that the Republican Party was given a black eye in the form of Donald Trump but only time will tell what will actually be accomplished.
Washington and the Media are pretty much the only ones who actually care about gender, race, color and creed.  In the real world men and women work together and either earn their stripes or not.  Economic opportunity often is blocked by restrictive education requirements that can only be obtained from expensive colleges and provide little of value.
Once you have obtained that education and get to work you are blocked by quotas and regulations.  Look at the Pot Stores in Anchorage that are still waiting for approval.  In the meantime they are investing cold cash into rent, renovations, etc.