Democrats Have A Big Night One Year After Trump

It was a big night for the Democrats across the nation as several states held off-year elections.

The big prize was the governorship of Virginia, where Democrat Ralph Northam had led in polls for weeks. But Republican Ed Gillespie pulled to within spitting distance in the last few days utilizing Trump-like tactics as polls showed only a 2 point lead for Northam.

Nerves were supremely settled, though, as the Democrat won the night by a whopping 9 points, 53.9%/45%.

Additionally, Democrat Justin Fairfax won his race to become Virginia’s next lieutenant governor. He is only the second African-American to win statewide in Virginia.

Donald Trump, who had recorded robocalls for Gillespie, chided the loser after the race was called, tweeting, "Ed Gillespie worked hard but did not embrace me or what I stand for. Don’t forget, Republicans won 4 out of 4 House seats, and with the economy doing record numbers, we will continue to win, even bigger than before!"

Ed Gillespie worked hard but did not embrace me or what I stand for. Don’t forget, Republicans won 4 out of 4 House seats, and with the economy doing record numbers, we will continue to win, even bigger than before!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 8, 2017

In New Jersey, Democrat Phil Murphy easily bested Republican Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno by a margin of 56%/43%. Guadagno was severely hurt by her boss, Gov. Chris Christie, whose approval rating had plummeted to a dismal 14%.

New Jersey also elected Sheila Oliver as its first female African-American lieutenant governor.

Great news for LGBT candidates as well.

History was made when Danica Roem became the nation's first-ever openly transgender person to be elected to a state legislature. Even better, she defeated Robert G. Marshall, who authored Virginia’s hideous anti-transgender “bathroom bill.” Marshall has proudly referred to himself as Virginia's "chief homophobe." Talk about irony :)

Jenny Durkan won her race for Seattle mayor becoming the first out lesbian to hold the office and the first woman since 1928.

Andrea Jenkins was elected to the Minneapolis City Council making history as the first trans woman of color elected to public office in the United States.

More history was made in Palm Springs as Lisa Middleton became the first transgender person elected to a non-judicial office in California with her election to city council.

Diversity won the day in Charlotte, North Carolina, as Democratic councilwoman Vi Lyles was elected mayor becoming the first African-American woman to win the office since the city’s incorporation in 1768.

And Wilmot Collins will be Helena’s new mayor and the state's first black mayor.

Click here for more historic wins from last night.

Tonight, we made history. Couldn't be prouder to be a member of the @VADemocrats. Together we’ll build a commonwealth that works for everyone—no matter who you are, no matter where you’re from. Congratulations to all our delegate candidates on their wins tonight!

— Ralph Northam (@RalphNortham) November 8, 2017

Democrats swept their races one year after Trump's win. Here are a few to know about. https://t.co/CAwr45cwBh

— New Day (@NewDay) November 8, 2017

When asked about Bob Marshall, Danica Roem said “I don't attack my constituents. Bob is my constituent now.”

She has more grace and composure than I will ever have. #virginia #DanicaRoem

— Nicholas Trevino (@BlyTarbell) November 8, 2017

Virginia just elected the first transgender state legislator in America. THAT is how you send a message to Trump that every American is equal under the law. https://t.co/LkV8ygweUh

— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) November 8, 2017

The Trump cult will not be broken: When he loses he/his supporters claim it’s b/c of not embracing him (no matter how ugly candidate is and did.). It’s how cults work. And it will secure wins for Dems into 2018 and beyond.

— Mike Signorile (@MSignorile) November 8, 2017

Fox News has nothing on Virginia this morning, instead they are replaying election night 2016 highlights.

— Conn Carroll (@conncarroll) November 8, 2017

Nice work New Jersey. And Virginia. And Seattle. And Hoboken. And Edison. And Prince William County. And Minneapolis. Hey, nice work America

— Kal Penn (@kalpenn) November 8, 2017

Georgia: Anti-LGBT Republican Karen Handel Bests Dem Jon Ossoff In Special Election 52% - 48%

After much hype, Democrat Jon Ossoff lost last night to anti-LGBT Republican Karen Handel in Georgia's special election, 52.1% -47.9%.

Republicans are elated, Democrats - not so much.

Often, a win is a win; a loss is a loss. But a few things come to mind:

• Ossoff received the same 48% he got in the April primary. Handel consolidated her base moving from about 20% in April to 52% last night. It's possible that 48% is about as high as Dems can get in the district. You can't create voters out of thin air.

• The one sliver lining for Democrats is that these special elections for Congressional seats in traditionally red states are much, much tighter than just months ago.

For example, when Republican Tom Price won the Georgia seat back in November, it was by 24 points. Handel clinched the win last night by only 4 points. That's a lot of lost margin.

There was also a special election in South Carolina last night that received less coverage, and was even tighter. Mick Mulvaney won the 5th District seat in SC last November by 20 points. Last night, Republican Ralph Norman won the special election by only 3 points.

Similarly, Mike Pompeo won his seat in Kansas' 4th District last November by 31 points; Republican Ron Estes took the seat in a special election this spring by a margin of only 7 points.

As you can see, there is some clear movement happening here. Will it be enough to make a difference come the fall of 2018 and the midterm elections? We shall see.

• While a lot has been made of the fund raising and money spent by the Ossoff campaign on this race, national Republican groups spent far more (nearly $14 million the NRCC, RNC, and Congressional Leadership Fund Super PAC) than national Dems did (about $6 million). According to NBC News, the total GOP price tag (NRCC, CLF, RNC) for the four recent special elections (Kansas, Georgia, South Carolina, Montana) was around $19 million versus $7 million for Democrats (DCCC, House Majority PAC, Patriot Majority).

What does that say? That Dems viewed the prospects of winning the traditional red seats pretty realistically, while the Repubs were clearly nervous.

Predictably, President Trump boasted about the Democrats loss this morning:

Well, the Special Elections are over and those that want to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN are 5 and O! All the Fake News, all the money spent = 0

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2017

Democrats would do much better as a party if they got together with Republicans on Healthcare,Tax Cuts,Security. Obstruction doesn't work!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2017

The comment about Dems working with Republicans in Congress is interesting in that the Repubs have literally shut the Dems out of any policy-making process.

More from the Twitterverse on last night's election.

The Republican just barely winning the South Carolina House race, with little over 50% — Mulvaney won by 20 points. Alarm bells for GOP.

— Mike Signorile (@MSignorile) June 21, 2017

👉Jon Ossoff lost by a margin of 5 points

👉The last Democrat to run in #GA06 in 2014 lost by a margin of 32 points

👉That's called progress

— J. Dice 🎲 (@jdice03) June 21, 2017

Tom Price won that seat by 24 points just 7 mths ago. There are 70 GOP House seats w/ more Democrats than GA-06. This was a strong showing. https://t.co/fs1boXDRO8

— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) June 21, 2017

Woofy Chris Pine Is A Bratty "Congress" In New Joss Whedon Election Video

Director Joss Whedon enlists the talents of woofy Chris Pine in a new election video that wonders what life would be like "If Congress Was Your Co-Worker."

Tony Award Winner Leslie Odom Jr. Sings Sara Bareilles' Ode To This Election - "Seriously"

When public radio show This American Life asked singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles to write a song envisioning the subtext of our outgoing President Barack Obama as he views this election cycle, and specifically Donald Trump's 'deplorable' behavior, Miss B delivered in spades.

Titled “Seriously”, Tony Award winner Leslie Odom Jr. for Hamilton provides the depth, acuity and appropriate irony. Watch below.

Text of the song:

Let’s start with hope
I threw it in the middle like a skipping stone
The ripples won, son of a gun
Some would not have thought so
But I stand here Commander in Chief
And I take that seriously

But along the way
A rogue ripple turned tidal wave
In reaction to what I tried to do
A rebirth of a nation’s hatred
Red, white and blue
Is black in there too?
Seriously?

One man
Rewriting the book on bad behavior
Maybe cheats the neighbors
Feels he gets what they pay for
We can’t
Pat him on the back and send him on through
No man’s ignorance will ever be his virtue

Is this the best we can be?
Seriously?

Let’s talk of fear
And why I don’t bring it in here
It’s a dangerous word, it spooks the herd
And we all bleed in the stampede
Fear makes a false friend indeed
And I take it seriously

So hear me now
Before the truth gets drowned out
By a demagogue flexing
A demagogue flexing
He’s history repeating

Angry?
Am I angry?
You ask am I angry?
And I’m at a loss for words
After all we’ve done
Every battle hard won
Every hair gone gray
In the name of this place
In a history plagued
With incredible mistakes
Still I pledge my allegiance to these
United divided States
Seriously

Let’s end with “why?”
It’s a question I
Want to ask of us as a populace
Why not take our time or the weight of this story
Seriously?

Canada Brings Liberal Party Back To Power After A Decade Of Conservatism

After a decade of conservative rule, Canada has returned the Liberal party back to power, with Justin Trudeau (sone of the former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau) as Prime Minister.

In addition to pledging to repair the chilly relations with the Obama administration, Trudeau campaigned on a promise to run a C$10 billion annual budget deficit for three years to invest in infrastructure and help stimulate Canada's anemic economic growth.

Trudeau also says he will withdraw Canada from combat against Islamic State militants shifting Canadian support to humanitarian aid and training. Additionally, the new Prime Minister will place a higher focus on climate change than his predecessor.

(source)

GOP Presidential Contenders Jump On Ben Carson's "Opposition To Muslim President" Comment

Dr. Ben Carson

On yesterday's edition of MEET THE PRESS, White House hopeful Dr. Ben Carson told Chuck Todd that he could not support a Muslim candidate for president.

Carson said Islam is "inconsistent with the values and principles of America" and is incompatible with the Constitution.

Now, some of his fellow GOP nominees are piling on saying his statements were out of line and out of touch.

Sen. Ted Cruz: “You know, the Constitution specifies there shall be no religious test for public office and I am a constitutionalist."

Sen. Lindsey Graham: "I think this shows that Dr. Carson is not ready to be commander-in-chief. He said that they didn't believe somebody of the muslim faith could be loyal to the Constitution. If he understood the world and how dangerous it is he would not say things like this. We have to partner with people in the faith to destroy radical Islam, and most Muslims throughout the world reject what radical islam is trying to do to the world and their faith so this is an example to me that Mr Carson may be a good doctor, but he is not ready to lead a great nation. .

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal: "If you can find me a Muslim candidate who is a Republican, who will fight hard to protect religious liberty, who will respect the Judeo-Christian heritage of America, who will be committed to destroying ISIS and radical Islam, who will condemn cultures that treat women as second class citizens and who will place their hand on the Bible and swear to uphold the Constitution, then yes, I will be happy to consider voting for him or her," he said. "If you can’t, I’ll settle for voting for a Christian Governor from Louisiana."

Interesting: Incoming Senate Dems Got 20 Million More Votes Than 54 Republicans

The Senate's 46 Democrats got 20 million more votes than its 54 Republicans. http://t.co/DJ2mTZgyxi via @dylanmatt pic.twitter.com/p2kWLFcxJX
— Blue Nation United (@BlueNationUntd_) January 3, 2015

Thoughts On 2014 Election Night

After an election night that was just about what everyone expected - low turnout, "6th year curse" for incumbent president giving power to opposition party, and general malaise about the country - there were a few bright spots for The Randy Report:

• The six openly LGBT members of the US House - Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA), Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO), Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY), Rep Mark Pocan (D-WI), Rep David Cicilline (D-RI), and Rep. Kysten Sinema (D-AZ) - won reelection.

• Dallas voters overwhelmingly added nondiscrimination protections for LGBT city employees to the City Charter on Tuesday by a vote of 77 to 23 percent opposed. See?  Not all Texans are assholes...

• In Massachusetts, Laura Healy became the first out Attorney General in the nation.

• Gov. John Hickenlooper squeaked out reelection in presidential swing state Colorado - that will be important come 2016

• LGBT ally Tom Wolf beat Pennsylvania's Tom Corbett to take the governor's mansion in that state. Wolf has stated he would sign hate crime legislation into law to help curb anti-gay attacks like the one in Philadelphia recently.

• Four red states — Alaska, Arkansas, Nebraska and South Dakota — passed measures to increase the minimum wage.

• Former half-term Massachusetts senator (and carpetbagger) Scott Brown made history as the first man to lose twice to female candidates for the US Senate having lost two years ago in Massachusetts to Elizabeth Warren and last night to Jeanne Shaheen in New Hampshire.

At the end of the day, it's important that what happened last night is not unusual. Presidents Reagan, Clinton and George W. Bush all saw their party lose control of the Senate during midterm contests.

While I wouldn't have chosen last night's results, what will be interesting now that the Republicans control both chamber of Congress is this: Will they NOW do something to help the country, or will they continue to be obstructionists?  More obstruction will make the electorate more discontent, but actually doing something for the country could give accomplishments to the Obama column... Which will it be?

Last thought - we heard for the past two years how this the 2014 Senate map was bad for Democrats with the majority of Senate seats in play being Dems.  Well, 2016 will flip the script on the GOP. There will be 23 Republican seats up compared to just 10 for Democrats. And five of those -- Illinois, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin -- Obama won in 2008 and 2012.

Just saying...

Forward.

In Case You Hadn't Heard...

Could the GOP lose the House in Fall 2014 elections?

Public Policy Polling compiled two dozen surveys from House districts with GOP incumbents from around the country, taken from Oct. 2 through Oct. 4. Sample sizes were between 600 and 700 voters in each district.


For Democrats to win a House majority, 17 seats would need to switch to their party's favor.

Results show that would be within reach, as Republican incumbents are behind in 17 of the districts analyzed: CA-31, CO-06, FL-02, FL-10, FL-13, IA-03, IA-04, IL-13, KY-06, MI-01, MI-07, MI-11, NY-19, OH-14, PA-07, PA-08, WI-07.

In 4 additional districts, the incumbent Republican fell behind after respondents were told their representative supported the government shutdown: CA-10, NY-11, NY-23, VA-02.

That makes for 21 possible seats that could change to Democrat next fall.  Again - only need 17.

Three districts saw GOP incumbents maintain their hold over their Democratic challengers, even after hearing their elected officials' views on the shutdown, including CA-21, NV-03 and OH-06.

(via HuffPost)

What Americans want

Image via Politics with Jarred and Dave

The Republican-controlled House has voted to keep the government funded but its "continuing resolution" comes with a poison pill to defund the Affordable Care Act that Democrats have vowed is dead on arrival in the Senate. http://n.pr/19lQPNc

House Majority Leader says what he "thinks' Americans want.

Let's look at the numbers from the last election:

House Popular Vote:
Democrats - 54,301095
Republicans - 53,822,442

President Popular Vote:
Barack Obama - 65,917,257
Mitt Romney - 60,932,235

It's clear what the American people voted for.  And it wasn't this.

Money spent by outside groups as of September 25th

Gee - how do you feel about millionaires and billionaires buying elections now?

NC: The numbers tell an interesting tale - Amendment One

There are folks on the anti-gay conservative side touting "61 percent of North Carolinians" voted for Amendment One.

But that's an inaccurate statement. Check this out:

Voter turnout was only 34% of registered voters (6,296,759 total voters participated). Sixty-six percent of registered voters did not participate.

The number of "yes" votes for the amendment only comes to 20.7% of all registered voters. This did account for 61% of those voting, but not 61% of all North Carolinians.

Repeat - only 20% of all registered voters in North Carolina were able to act as a "majority" yesterday in North Carolina.

The next time you think about voting, consider that fact.

See the full set of numbers here.

Good night overall for LGBT candidates yesterday

LGBT candidates and causes scored huge wins in yesterday's elections.

>>> Liz Mathis beat Cindy Golding in Iowa's special election holding off what might have been a legislative threat to marriage equality in the state, and keeping Democrats in control of the Senate. This is a HUGE loss for NOM and other anti-gay groups, which poured money into the state to defeat Mathis and used hideous robocalls at the last minute.

Iowa Independent: "Liz Mathis, 43, won a clear victory in a special election Tuesday by 55.8 percent support, according to the Linn County Auditor’s Office. Cindy Golding, her Republican opponent garnered 43.52 percent support."

>>> Adam Ebbin has been elected to the Virginia state senate, and is its first openly gay senator: "Ebbin defeated Republican challenger and political newcomer Timothy McGhee by a margin of 64 percent to 35 percent. He ran in a district with a solid Democratic majority that includes parts of Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax counties."

>>> Houston Mayor Annise Parker was re-elected by enough of a margin that she has avoided a run-off.

>>> Largo, Fla., City Commission: Michael Smith defeated Mary Gray Black, who has a history of anti-gay and anti-trans activism on the commission.

>>> Charlotte, North Carolina elected its first openly gay city council member: "LaWana Mayfield won her seat Tuesday as part of a Democratic wave in North Carolina's largest city. In addition to holding the mayor's office, Democrats increased their margin on the city council, now holding 9 of 11 seats."

More in North Carolina: "Openly gay Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt won his re-election bid with 78 percent of the vote, beating challengers Tim Sookram and Kevin Wolff. Openly gay 22-year-old and recent University of North Carolina grad Lee Storrow won his race for a seat on the Chapel Hill Town Council. He garnered 15.78 percent of the vote, coming in third in a four-way race. Storrow is the youngest member to serve on the council in 20 years. In nearby Carrboro, incumbent Alderwoman Lydia Lavelle was also victorious. She’ll serve another term on that town’s council, capturing 29.84 percent of the vote."

>>> Alex Morse, a 22-year-old, beat 67-year-old inclumbent Mary Pluta in Holyoke, Massachusetts to become the nation's youngest mayor. “Alex is a force of nature, and proof that young LGBT Americans are determined to live authentic lives as they build their careers. We’re incredibly proud of the campaign he ran,” said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Victory Fund.

>>> Maywood, NJ's Mayor Tim Eustace won his Assembly race, "becoming the first openly gay non-incumbent to win a seat in the legislature.

>>> Chris Seelbach is the first openly gay city council member elected in Cincinnati.

>>> Pedro Segarra easily retains his post as mayor of Hartford, Connecticut.

>>> Zach Adamson is now the city's first openly gay City Council member in Indianapolis.

>>> Caitlin Copple has won election in Missoula, Montana: She is the first openly gay councilmember that has been elected to the Missoula City Council.

>>> Traverse City, Michigan overwhelmingly supported an ordinance that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation.

>>> Maine retained same-day voter registration despite hideous ugly anti-gay tactics by Republicans.

>>> Mississippi's "personhood amendment failed at the polls: "Mississippi voters Tuesday defeated a ballot initiative that would've declared life begins at fertilization, a proposal that supporters sought in the Bible Belt state as a way to prompt a legal challenge to abortion rights nationwide. The so-called 'personhood' initiative was rejected by more than 55 percent of voters.

>>> In Ohio, voters overturned a significant anti-union law in a referendum: "The results could help reverse the momentum of Republicans who used last year's huge electoral gains to pass extreme measures favored by the party's right wing, said Paul Beck, a political science professor at Ohio University."

>>> Appointed San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee holds a commanding lead over his other opponents, which included City Attorney Dennis Herrera and openly gay former Supervisor Bevan Dufty.