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arlingtonpark · 7 years

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2017 Election Overview

Well well, just look at that.

Like the shithead Confederates he hitched his ride to, Ed Gillespie goes down in defeat and it wasn’t even close.

And just like how the Confederacy lost due to factors that are out of one’s control, so too did Gillespie lose for reasons out of his control.

That is the cardinal rule of American politics: campaigns and candidates almost never matter. The state of the economy, the occurrence of unpopular wars, but above all else, the popularity, or lack thereof, of the President are the determining factors.

Virginia

All along it was expected that the Virginia race would be a close one, but surprise, surprise! It was a total ass-whooping for the GOP. Northam won and he did so comfortably. What’s more, Justin Fairfax and Mark Herring, the Democratic candidates for Lieutenant Governor and State Attorney General respectively, were swept in to office alongside him. The Dems will remain in control of Virginia’s executive branch.

And as a cherry on top, they may have flipped control of the State House of Delegates! No one thought that could happen! It was known that the Dems needed to flip the seats that Hillary Clinton won in 2016 that currently have a Republican incumbent, but everyone thought that those incumbents would hang on. Turns out the fact that these people are practically no-name stand-ins for the parties they’re members of meant that they were thrown out alongside their gubernatorial candidate. Democrats haven’t controlled the House of Delegates in 20 years.

Also noteworthy, Danica Noem is now the highest elected openly transgender official in the country. and I’m sure the LGBTQ community will love this: the Republican she defeated was Bob Marshall, the author of a proposed anti-transgender bathroom bill.

This victory won’t make for any drastic changes in Virginia state policy though. Democrats have retained, not gained, the statewide offices. They’ve gained control of the House of Delegates, but Republicans will retain control of the State Senate.

What victory there is to be had here is threefold. One is the undeniable showing that Trump is an albatross on Republicans. Republicans who oppose him will be emboldened.

There have also been a number of retirements by Republicans and now there will almost certainly be more. This will create openings that Democrats can exploit in 2018.

And finally, Northam will remain as Governor of Virginia at least until 2021, meaning that Democrats will be able ensure that Virginia’s House districts for the Federal House of Representatives in not gerrymandered in favor of Republicans.

New Jersey

Al expected, Phil Murphy has won the governorship of New Jersey.

Unlike in Virginia, this outcome could have a more immediate and direct impact. The Democrats now have complete control over the state government, which means they’re now in a position to enact their agenda. Murphy ran on a platform of gun control, legal marijuana, and a $15 statewide minimum wage. We’ll see if he follows through on this. (Politicians usually do)

Miscellaneous

Other noteworthy events: Maine voted to expand Medicaid under Obamacare. This will lead to the insuring of over 70,000 people. Unless right-wing Governor Paul LePage refuses to implement it.

The Democrats have now also won complete control over the government of Washington state. They were denied control due to a one seat Republican majority in the state Senate, but now they’ve flipped that seat so now they (barely) control the chamber. Expect to see the implementation of many progressive policies there, especially since Governor Jay Inslee is a sometimes talked about candidate for President and he’ll want to bolster his credibility among primary voters.

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