In both victory and defeat, Tuesday’s elections were a warning shot for the Democratic Party.
In Virginia, Republicans swept to power in the gubernatorial, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and House of Delegates races. The next governor, Glenn Youngkin, ran on the kitchen table issues, including culture war issues, dealing with the economy, schools, and coronavirus restrictions. But his Democratic opponent, Terry McAuliffe, had the arrogance to lecture parents. Those parents were fed up with curriculum including critical race theory, which is taught in Virginia. Pushing CRT, which is racist and wrongfully teaches that racism is institutional as opposed to something done by individuals, is a recipe for disaster for Democrats in Virginia and elsewhere. Denying that CRT is taught in places where it actually is taught is a surefire way to lose, as voters, especially parents, are not blind to things going awry in the classroom.
Moreover, Youngkin was able to appeal to both the Trump and non-Trump wings of the GOP. This allowed him to not only do well enough with minorities, but also do well with suburban voters who were repulsed by former President Donald Trump. Youngkin’s playbook will be used by Republicans nationwide and would allow for Republicans to win in 2022, 2024, and beyond. Democrats would be wise to not follow McAuliffe’s strategy and tie every Republican to Trump.
What other lessons for Democrats?
Well, perhaps that pushing trillions of dollars in spending is actually a way to scare voters worried about inflation. People have seen the high prices at the pump, stores, and elsewhere. They don’t like it.
There was a trend swing to Republicans this week.
In New Jersey, while incumbent Gov. Phil Murphy made history as the first Democrat to win reelection as governor of the Garden State since 1977, the margin of his victory was narrower than expected. In Washington state, a law-and-order candidate defeated a pro-lawlessness candidate in the race to be the Seattle city attorney. In her position, Ann Davison will be able to prosecute misdemeanors and enforce the law while supporting the police, who have faced pervasive homelessness and violence.
Similarly, in Minneapolis, voters overwhelmingly rejected a measure to abolish the city’s police department. Democrats should know that “Defund the Police” is a losing slogan. Common-sense reform, such as training to deal with those suffering mental health issues, appeal to the electorate that obviously wants safe neighborhoods.
In Ohio, it was expected that Democrat Shontel Brown would win the special election to succeed Marcia Fudge. But it is worth remembering that Brown was able to become the candidate all but guaranteed to win the heavily Democratic district because she defeated in the primary a far-left candidate, Nina Turner.
Arrogance, lawlessness, teaching to hate America and one another, labeling people as “racist,” hysteria, denial, and pushing far-left policies are the ingredients that left Democrats with a bad taste in their mouth this week. Democrats would be wise to take note and reverse course.
Jackson Richman is a journalist in Washington, D.C. Follow him @jacksonrichman.
