dragoni reblogged
Democrats won up and down the ballot Tuesday night, notably the governors’ race in Virginia and New Jersey. The victories were a much-needed sigh of relief for a party that hadn’t had any high-profile victories at the ballot box during the first year of the Trump presidency – despite his record-low approval ratings.
7 Takeaways
1. The resistance can win.
2. Trumpism has its limits.
3. A shifting of old political lines continues.
Democrats upped their margins in Northern Virginia and formerly swing suburban counties. Meanwhile, Democrats continued their slide in rural, western Virginia.
4. Progressive platform gets a boost.
- Danica Roem in Virginia became the first openly transgender person elected to a statehouse in the country. And the 33-year-old did so over 13-term incumbent Bob Marshall, who authored Virginia's "bathroom bill" and considers himself the state's "chief homophobe."
- Chris Hurst, the boyfriend of a reporter shot and killed on live TV, won a seat to the Statehouse in Virginia on a gun-control platform over three-term NRA-backed incumbent Joseph Yost.
- Ravi Bhalla, is Hoboken‘s first Sikh mayor. An Indian-born city councilman, faced racist attacks, including a poster that stirred statewide controversy.
7. Voting matters.
One of the big stories of the night is that Democrats are one seat shy of taking back the state Legislature in Virginia. If they were to do that and hold it in 2019, it would give them the ability to redraw congressional districts in 2021.