Three races have jumped into the spotlight as looming problem areas for Republicans: In Alabama and Kansas, where conservatives Roy Moore and Kris Kobach are flirting with Senate bids, and in North Carolina, where Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C) is viewed as vulnerable to a primary challenge.

“There are still Republicans … who are upset that we gave away Senate seats in Nevada, Missouri and Indiana that were right there for the taking,” said Doug Heye, a former Republican National Committee spokesman. “So I think folks here [in Washington] are very mindful of that.”

A national GOP strategist added that “there’s a pretty broad recognition that we’ve got to nominate candidates who are electable, and unfortunately the party has learned that lesson the hard way.”

National Republican groups aren’t ruling out intervening in the three GOP primaries as part of an effort to fend off candidates viewed as unelectable in November, including Moore and Kobach, who have both lost statewide races.