It’s election season again, and the results of the Tuesday, Nov. 7, general election were enlightening. We will look at several elections of note in multiple states, and then analyze what they mean for the 2018 midterms.
We turn first to Virginia, which had some of the biggest shakeups. The governor’s race was a blow to the GOP and to President Trump’s image as “kingmaker,” with Ed Gillespie, the Republican candidate, losing to Ralph Northam, the Democrat, in the race.
Progressive groups, including Democracy for America, the political organization founded by former DNC chair Howard Dean, slammed Northam for his opposition to sanctuary cities. It appears that a majority of voters favored Northam, however, viewing him as a preferable option to the Trump-backed candidate.
On Twitter, Trump backpedaled on his support for Gillespie, saying “Ed Gillespie worked hard but did not embrace me or what I stand for.”
In the Virginia legislature, the House majority whip was defeated by a Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidate named Lee Carter. For the Democratic Party, this continues the conflict between the more centrist factions within the party and those pushing for a more left-wing approach.
An incumbent Republican in the Virginia legislature, who helped to author the widely panned “transgender bathroom bill,” was defeated by Danica Roem, an openly transgender woman. The Washington Post notes that this makes Roem the first openly transgender woman to ever serve in a state legislature.
Democrats in Virginia were hoping to pick up a handful of seats, but at last count, they have already taken 10. Seven more seats would need to be flipped in order to gain control of the state legislature.
In New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie was not eligible to run for another term, and after voting, he stated that the election of his successor would not be a referendum on his tenure as governor. This might have been a precautionary statement, as the Democratic candidate, Philip Murphy, an advocate of marijuana legalization and a $15 minimum wage, won by more than 12 points.
The mayoral race in New York was over fairly quickly, with Democratic incumbent Bill de Blasio retaining his seat by a nearly 30-point margin. Later in the night, Democrats narrowly seized control of the Washington state legislature. As FiveThirtyEight notes, this marks complete control over every legislature and governorship on the West Coast.
Pennsylvania had mostly judicial and municipal elections, and all state Supreme Court justices up for retention won comfortably. A ballot measure which would allow the state legislature to vote on a replacement of property taxes with increased income taxes won by just under 9 percent. The measure has received criticism for the threat it could pose to public school funding in the state.
In a win for criminal justice reform advocates, former civil rights attorney Larry Krasner won the District Attorney race in Philadelphia. His platform included an end to cash bail for nonviolent offenders and opposition to civil asset forfeiture without a conviction. Krasner won 75 percent of the vote, with his Republican opponent, Beth Grossman, trailing at 25 percent.
Overall, the Democrats picked up a sizable portion of the seats up for grabs across the country. One key takeaway is the surge in voter turnout, especially among younger voters in Virginia. Tuesday’s election was a clear rejection of the Republican party and President Trump. GOP leadership and Trump are losing their ability to claim control over party affairs and elections, and this gives new firepower to the Democrats.
Our attention now turns to the Dec. 12 special election for the U.S. Senate seat in Alabama that was vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The race will take place between Judge Roy Moore, a Republican who has often been called a conservative theocrat, and former U.S. Attorney Doug Jones, a Democrat who prosecuted the perpetrators of the racially motivated 16th Street Baptist Church bombing.
The outcome of this race will give us an even clearer picture of what to expect come 2018, and whether or not the Democrats have any chance of reclaiming the House and Senate.
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