Some commentators have observed that issues that were important six months ago were not so important when the elections were held. The public is not only mutable but also irrational when it comes to judging characters of candidates. A slim majority chose a felon over a prosecutor. A slim segment of voters made one issue (abortion) the key issue. Significant numbers of voters stayed away for various reasons, like disgust with campaigns and the cowardice of Ds about immigration/border security, energy and pollution. I think moral forthrightness and generous commitment to the public good must inspire strong resistance to the t and R status quo *now*-- and it must swell before the midterm elections.
In a dictatorship there are no honest elections, the will of the people will be crushed.
Our voting system has been compromised for decades by the GOP, especially after the Supreme Court gutted the voting rights act, with all the restrictions, photo i.d. laws, removing Drop-boxes, closing hundreds of polling stations, Gerrymandering, fake ads, fearmongering etc.. The Dems did nothing to warn the public, no outrage, a few lawsuits is all they could come up with.
I have very little faith that we will have "honest" elections in the future. It is no wonder that Dems are discouraged from voting. Trump will cheat with the help of governors to keep the GOP in power. Without an independent Supreme Court we have zero power.
The disinformation and brainwashing by Fox and other so called "News media" has been very successful, millions of Americans vote against their self-interest .
Trump will discard the constitution, he has immunity and he will use it to the fullest.
When will the special elections happen for Elissa Slotkin's seat? I hope with a NY seat and a Democratic Governor we might win this Congressional seat. One candidate sends me emails for donations and am considering, but know nothing about the other contenders. Any info would be helpful. Thank you.
Elise Stefanik represents a deep red district (NY-21) in New York's North Country, where Democrats were once competitive, Sandy. She won her election by 24 points last November, and was comfortably elected every time she ran dating back to 2014. However, prior to that the seat was represented by Democrats, although often with different boundaries because of redistricting. As Chris has noted, special elections tend to draw voters who are dissatisfied with what happened in the last election, sometimes resulting in dramatic swings to the party out of power, so while this district will be challenging, a good candidate with a well-funded campaign can make a huge difference. If Democrats can be competitive here it will be the first chance to demonstrate that the political winds are changing. The special election will take place this spring. Once Stefanik resigns her seat, NY Gov. Hochul will have ten days to call for a special election, which would have to be held within 80 days of her proclamation. So realistically we're probably looking at a date in late April.
The House probably will shift but I don't have much optimism about the Senate.
Yeah, same, unfortunately.
Some commentators have observed that issues that were important six months ago were not so important when the elections were held. The public is not only mutable but also irrational when it comes to judging characters of candidates. A slim majority chose a felon over a prosecutor. A slim segment of voters made one issue (abortion) the key issue. Significant numbers of voters stayed away for various reasons, like disgust with campaigns and the cowardice of Ds about immigration/border security, energy and pollution. I think moral forthrightness and generous commitment to the public good must inspire strong resistance to the t and R status quo *now*-- and it must swell before the midterm elections.
Here in Missouri the majority for reproductive freedom went from about 65% to 51.5% because of partisan branding.
I hate to be so pessimistic but:
In a dictatorship there are no honest elections, the will of the people will be crushed.
Our voting system has been compromised for decades by the GOP, especially after the Supreme Court gutted the voting rights act, with all the restrictions, photo i.d. laws, removing Drop-boxes, closing hundreds of polling stations, Gerrymandering, fake ads, fearmongering etc.. The Dems did nothing to warn the public, no outrage, a few lawsuits is all they could come up with.
I have very little faith that we will have "honest" elections in the future. It is no wonder that Dems are discouraged from voting. Trump will cheat with the help of governors to keep the GOP in power. Without an independent Supreme Court we have zero power.
The disinformation and brainwashing by Fox and other so called "News media" has been very successful, millions of Americans vote against their self-interest .
Trump will discard the constitution, he has immunity and he will use it to the fullest.
Agreed. There is a decent chance we will never see an honest presidential election again. 2026 is democracy's last chance.
When will the special elections happen for Elissa Slotkin's seat? I hope with a NY seat and a Democratic Governor we might win this Congressional seat. One candidate sends me emails for donations and am considering, but know nothing about the other contenders. Any info would be helpful. Thank you.
Elise Stefanik represents a deep red district (NY-21) in New York's North Country, where Democrats were once competitive, Sandy. She won her election by 24 points last November, and was comfortably elected every time she ran dating back to 2014. However, prior to that the seat was represented by Democrats, although often with different boundaries because of redistricting. As Chris has noted, special elections tend to draw voters who are dissatisfied with what happened in the last election, sometimes resulting in dramatic swings to the party out of power, so while this district will be challenging, a good candidate with a well-funded campaign can make a huge difference. If Democrats can be competitive here it will be the first chance to demonstrate that the political winds are changing. The special election will take place this spring. Once Stefanik resigns her seat, NY Gov. Hochul will have ten days to call for a special election, which would have to be held within 80 days of her proclamation. So realistically we're probably looking at a date in late April.
Excellent post.