2022 MidTerms & State races- who ya got?

[bronconick]

Were there any special measures (particularly re abortion rights) on the ballot in Florida? Obviously there were no Senate races in Florida that would drive turnout statewide, and it does not appear that the D's gubernatorial candidate was terribly inspiring. I think those issues would also have played a part in low turnout for the Dems.

Either way, disappointing trend. Although, if all the traitors concentrate into Florida and Texas, that ultimately could be a positive.

Yeah. Can't imagine why a former Republican at the top of the ticket wasn't a boost for Florida Democrats. They need to tear the party down and start from scratch.

[Swansong]

I get the idea where Florida Governorship is the opposite of MA. Sure, the minority party can win, but they absolutely have to be a moderate.

Not that Crist was a good candidate or a good campaigner (he was neither), but I don't see a progressive Democrat winning in FL any time soon. Or TX.

[Kepler]

I get the idea where Florida Governorship is the opposite of MA. Sure, the minority party can win, but they absolutely have to be a moderate.

Not that Crist was a good candidate or a good campaigner (he was neither), but I don't see a progressive Democrat winning in FL any time soon. Or TX.

I think Abrams is testing this hypothesis in GA. She is a true progressive and she does not appear to be suffering for it.

[Swansong]

I think Abrams is testing this hypothesis in GA. She is a true progressive and she does not appear to be suffering for it.

Well, she lost twice...

[psych]

Well, she lost twice...

And she got smoked the second time, way underperforming Warnock with a vote difference I doubt incumbency provided on its own.

Edit: Candidate quality definitely played a role too. Walker had to be the worst candidate out of any the GOP had to offer.

[Swansong]

Yeah, exactly. Unfortunately, people in GA seem to prefer that derp Kemp. And I think his kind of bucking Trump on the election fraud probably won some independent votes as well.

[ticapnews]

If there is one thing that drives Dem party enthusiasm it's when Democratic candidates try to act like Republicans. You can see what a successful strategy it was from 2009-2016 when the party lost over 1000 seats nationally, a filibuster-proof senate majority, the House and the White House (and lost the Supreme Court for a generation or more)

[Slap Shot]

Well, she lost twice...

Dr. Joseph Dolan: You know, it's a shame about Ed.
Fletch: Oh, it was. Yeah, it was really a shame. To go so suddenly like that.
Dr. Joseph Dolan: He was dying for years.
Fletch: Sure, but... the end was very... very sudden.
Dr. Joseph Dolan: He was in intensive care for eight weeks.
Fletch: Yeah, but I mean the very end, when he died. That was extremely sudden.

[psych]

If there is one thing that drives Dem party enthusiasm it's when Democratic candidates try to act like Republicans. You can see what a successful strategy it was from 2009-2016 when the party lost over 1000 seats nationally, a filibuster-proof senate majority, the House and the White House (and lost the Supreme Court for a generation or more)

As always, it depends on the race. Self-proclaimed progressive Tony Evers won comfortably in Wisconsin, while self-proclaimed progressive Mandela Barnes lost. Incumbency certainly played a role, along with many other factors. But, in the same state, in statewide races, one won, one lost. I won’t claim to know what kind of campaign Barnes ran, or Evers for that matter. Maybe if Burd or another Wisconsinite could fill us in, that’d help. All I know is that Democrats quickly dropped out and coalesced around Barnes, allowing him time to avoid a nasty primary and build a general election war chest.
Abrams received 1.81 million votes in 2022; 1.92 million in 2018. Kemp received 1.97 million in 2018; 2.18 million in 2022. Won’t claim to know what happened there either, but something went wrong for Abrams that didn’t also go wrong for Warnock, like having a rematch against a somewhat professional incumbent politician.
As a progressive, there’s nothing wrong with us. I think the pragmatic, smart ones who run the right campaign can win in purple districts, but they’re strongest and best to have in blue districts right now. I don’t want Dianne Feinstein representing dark blue California. I want her ilk representing the Houston suburbs. But alas, I’m rambling.

[dxmnkd316]

Mandela Barnes threatened to tax paint thinner

[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

There weee something like 50k people who voted for Evers and RoJo.