Election is a warning to Democrats
After disappointing losses, Democrats must wage better campaigns to win next year’s midterms
The upset loss in Virginia’s governor’s race and a close win in deeply blue New Jersey should be seen as a warning sign for the midterms in 2022 and the presidential election in 2024.
Republican Glenn Youngkin defeated Democrat Terry McAuliffe in the Virginia governor’s race, becoming the first Republican to win statewide office there since 2009.
In New Jersey, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy narrowly defeated Republican Jack Ciattarelli in a race that was far tighter than polls had predicted.
The Nov. 2 election results should be seen as a warning of what could be in store for Democrats in the 2022 midterms across the nation in statewide contests.
In New Jersey, in addition to the near upset in the gubernatorial race Republican Edward Durr, a political novice who spent less than $10,000 in the race toppled Democratic State Sen. Steve Sweeney, the longest-serving State Senate president in the state.
In Virginia, the GOP not only reclaimed the office of governor and attorney general, Republicans also won control of the House of Delegates. Democrats still hold a narrow 21-19 majority in the state Senate.
In Pennsylvania, while Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, a reform-minded progressive prosecutor, took advantage of the city’s 7 to 1 Democratic advantage to win 70 percent of the vote to easily defeat Republican challenger Chuck Peruto, Democrats did not fare well in statewide races.
Republicans swept all statewide appeals court races including a seat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
The Nov. 2 election results in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Virginia could be signs that Democrats will have a difficult time in the 2022 midterms especially when considering that Joe Biden won New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia in the 2020 presidential race.
So, what are the lessons for Democrats from last week’s election?
One lesson from last week’s election is that Democrats must run more effective candidates who do not allow their Republican opponents to define them and the issues.
In Virginia and New Jersey, Democrats allowed their opponents to define them as out of touch elitists who did not care about the concerns of average voters. While the Democratic candidates were often subject to misleading attacks they failed to effectively respond. They allowed too many false claims to go unchallenged.
In Virginia, Youngkin campaigned on pandemic restrictions as well as the fake controversy of critical race theory, which Republicans falsely claim was being taught in public schools.
Democrats were also hurt in state races by Democratic infighting in Washington and their inability to pass the president’s infrastructure bill before last week’s election.
One year before the 2022 midterm elections, Republicans hold a clear lead on the congressional ballot as President Joe Biden's approval rating sinks to a new low of 38%., according to a new USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll.
The poll shows Biden has lost ground with voters since he won last year's election, but former President Donald Trump hasn't gained it. Over the past year, two-thirds of those surveyed say, their opinion of Trump hasn't changed. Fourteen percent say their view of him has gotten better, 19% say it has gotten worse. But Trump commands more loyalty among his core supporters than Biden does.
“Among those who voted for Biden last year, almost 4 in 10, 39%, say they hope he doesn't run for another term; 50% hope he will run. Among those who voted for Trump last year, 1 in 4, 26%, hope he won't run again; 65% hope he will, reports USA TODAY.
Studies show how a president’s poll number could indicate how his party does in the midterms.
In 2022, Republicans can be expected to run on cultural issues like critical race theory and on pandemic restrictions.
Still, in response to the election debacle, Democrats should not shift to the right in a futile pursuit of white rural voters who have largely abandoned them for the Republican Party.
Issues such as police reform and voting rights should not be shelved for political expediency. Instead, Democrats must clearly define the issues and push back against expected fear-mongering by the GOP. Democrats must not allow Republicans to define police reform as an effort to “defund the police,” but as an effort to end police brutality and improve public safety and trust.
Democrats can not succumb to empty symbolism that serve no constructive purposes. The removal of the statute of Thomas Jefferson from City Hall in New York will not help the fight for race equality.
Democrats must address issues head on and clearly and repeatedly point out the benefits of vaccine mandates in saving lives and getting the economy to return to normal. They must point out that critical race theory is a specific legal viewpoint not taught in public schools. The term has become a catch all phrase about any teaching of racism in the United States. The fact is schools should teach the truth about slavery and segregation in the United States because it a part of American history and for the same reasons that it is important to learn about the Holocaust – not to make white children feel bad as some Republican lawmakers claim but to teach important lessons so these atrocities will never happen again.
Most of all, Democrats must appeal to the economic interests and social needs of average voters.
Irv Randolph is an award-winning journalist and creator of The Randolph Report, a newsletter dedicated to pursuing truth and justice. Sign up for free and get an independent view on politics, race and culture delivered to your inbox every week. https://therandolphreport.substack.com