By Edward Epstein, CQ Staff

Changes are coming to House Republicans’ national campaign effort in the wake of three special election losses in once-safe GOP districts, House Minority Leader John A. Boehner said Wednesday.

“I expect we’ll discuss changes that may be needed to deal with the atmosphere we’re facing,’’ Boehner, R-Ohio, told reporters after a House Republican Conference meeting at which Democrat Travis W. Childers ’ eight-point win Tuesday in Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District provided a major focus for sometimes-pointed discussion.

“We’ve got to do a better job,’’ added Boehner, who said unspecified changes to the National Republican Congressional Committee would be on the agenda when GOP leaders meet later in the day.

Dissatisfaction has been rising in House Republican ranks since Democrat Bill Foster on March 8 captured the Illinois 14th District seat of former GOP Speaker J. Dennis Hastert. They intensified when Democrat Don Cazayoux on May 3 captured the Louisiana 6th District seat from which 11-term Republican Rep. Richard H. Baker resigned to take a lobbying position.

NRCC Chairman Tom Cole of Oklahoma admitted he is on the hot seat. Asked if he might be replaced, Cole said, “Nobody’s talking to me about anything like that yet, but I said ‘yet.’’’

In addition to the losses, the NRCC trails its Democratic counterpart, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, by a wide margin in campaign contributions and cash on hand. It spent several million dollars in a losing effort to keep the Louisiana and Mississippi seats.

Boehner has already appointed a committee of GOP House members to work with Cole on strategy and fundraising. He wouldn’t specify what further changes he wants.

Republicans were downbeat after their conference meeting. Asked about the GOP mood, Rep. Thomas M. Davis III , R-Va., stomped his foot on the Capitol corridor floor. “This is the floor. We’re underneath the floor,’’ said Davis, a former NRCC chairman who is not seeking re-election.

He said Republicans are getting clobbered because of rising gas prices, the war in Iraq and President Bush’s continuing unpopularity. He said the hot presidential campaign is consuming all the political air. “It’s difficult for a congressional party to get an agenda in a presidential year,’’ said Davis.

House Republicans were later to unveil the first planks in their 2008 “Change You Deserve” platform. First up will be family issues.

“You may be surprised by this agenda,’’ said Rep. Kay Granger , R-Texas. “It’s for today’s working families. We’ve been talking to families, particularly to women.’’

Boehner repeated his call for Republicans to position themselves as the party of change. “When you consider that Americans think Washington is broken, we have to show them that we can fix it,’’ he said.

House Democratic leaders meanwhile celebrated their victory in Mississippi and openly mocked the GOP platform.