538 just called it- After better than expected performance in four special U.S. House elections including picking up a seat from the republicans yesterday, Democrats may hold on to the house, senate, and some down ballot close elections too. This will not doubt be a disappointment for Democratic office holders preparing to again be the minority party they knew and loved… But I’m not complaining!
Now this new found electability will surely throw a monkey wrench into the campaign strategies of Democratic leaders who were looking forward to a comfortable election season defending safe seats like MN2 and IA3 instead of evicting republican incumbents from former democratic seats in the wilds of MN1, IA1 and 2, NE2, and maybe even NE1 too. With this good electoral news ad buys should be moving from the metro to rural markets and staffers relocated to these now competitive districts…
I see no such movement- I live less than 30 miles from again competitive MN1 but looking at Democratic candidate Ettinger’s campaign website it’s obvious that their campaign is pretty much ignoring the western 100+ miles of the district I live adjacent to. Same in Iowa, where IA1, dominated by the “Peoples Republic of Iowa City” has been all but surrendered to the republicans. But despite their best attempts otherwise, the Democrats may very well hang on to the House and a bunch of endangered Governorships and Legislatures too.
How the H…?
Despite the billions spent, politics is not the precision PR and ad campaigns we expect from Fortune 500 companies… It’s more like a very amateur baseball game between teams of heavy drinking outa shape middle aged guys who are related to the umpires. Through the innings as the player’s Blood Alcohol Content rises the runs get easier, go into extra innings in darkness and a bunted foul ball can become an inside the park home run.
While the Democratic Party bumbles it’s way to preservation of the status quo, the republicans are a literal hot mess of Neo-Nazi Confederate apologist global warming, election, and 20th century denying certifiably insane armed terrorists. When that truth is exposed the swing voters who really decide elections vote democratic, and we get “blue wave” elections. I don’t expect the Democrats will take advantage of that opportunity…
Please prove me wrong.
Sassy Democrat 