Democrats Sweep First Statewide Elections Since Trump Took Office
Tuesday evening, results came in from the first statewide elections to occur since Trump took office. While elections only occurred in a handful of states, politicos across the country were eager to see how citizens would react at the polls to a year under Trump. With most races being safely projected it's clear that Democrats scored a major win this year, taking virtually every contested race. Here's what you need to know.
Democrat Ralph Northam Wins Virginia Governor's Race
In the most-watched race of the year, Democrat Ralph Northam beat Republican Ed Gillespie in Virginia's gubernatorial race. Northam led for the entirety of the race, but it became significantly tighter as Gillespie used inflamed attacks against Northam around crime and immigration. With 99% of precincts reporting, Northam won 53.7% of the vote while Gillespie took 45.1%. Last year, Hillary Clinton took just 49.8% of the presidential vote in the state.
Democrats Make Massive Gains In Virginia House Of Delegates
Without all the results from every precinct, it is still clear that Democrats made huge gains in the Virginia House of Delegates, which some say is the best predictor of how things will swing in next year's midterms. By Tuesday evening, Democrats had gained 14 seats in the chamber (all 100 were up for reelection), with two more leaning that way.
Before the election, David Wasserman wrote this in The Cook Political Report:
Think of it this way: if Democrats pick up five seats or less, Republicans would breathe a sigh of relief. If Democrats pick up five to ten seats, it would suggest Democrats are in contention for the House next year. If Democrats pick up 10 to 15 seats, it would be a strong sign they're on track to pick up the House majority next year. If Democrats pick up more than 15 seats, we're looking at a potential tidal wave in 2018.
Democrat Philip Murphy Becomes New Jersey Governor
In New Jersey, Democrat Philip Murphy beat Republican Kim Guadagno for the position of governor, replacing the now notorious Republican Chris Christie who is currently Guadagno's boss. Despite how hard she tried, Guadagno could not escape Christie's shadow. The race was less contested than Virginia's, but Murphy still managed to take 1% more (at 56%) of the vote in the state than Hillary Clinton did.
Democrat Projected To Win State Washington State Senate Race, Flipping Entire Coast Blue
Democrat Manka Dhingra is expected to prevail over Republican Jinyoung Lee Englund in Washington state's 45th senate district special election. If projections from Tuesday evening are correct, the result would turn the entire government of the state blue and create a west coast Democratic powerhouse, with each state having completely Democratically controlled governments. At the time of this report, Dhingra has 55% of the vote.
Maine Votes To Expand Medicaid
Maine voted to become the first state to expand Medicaid under Obamacare by popular vote. Maine was one of the only states in the North East to reject the expansion of Medicaid, largely due to the state's Republican governor who vetoed repeated attempts to expand Medicaid coverage to low-income individuals of all ages. Maine's initiative to expand Medicaid by popular vote has been watched by Democrats in other states eager to use the tactic to expand health care coverage. With 92% of precincts reporting, 59.1% of voters said yes to the referendum.
Three Deep-Red Georgia Seats Go Blue
In Georgia, three state-legislative seats that were once red turned blue. In the Athens area, Deborah Gonzalez won a special house election. A four-way race in another Athens district went to first-time candidate Jonathan Wallace. In the Atlanta area, two Democrats will go to a run-off election to replace a Republican state senator.
More Diverse Officials
Localities across the country last night also ushered in a plethora of firsts for minorities.
Democrat Danica Roem became the first transgender person to be elected to the Virginia House of Delegates, winning against the Republican incumbent who introduced an anti-trans bathroom bill this year. Gerri Cannon became the first transgender person to be elected to New Hampshire public office, winning a spot on the Somersworth School Board. Democrat Andrea Jenkins became the first transgender person to win a spot on Minneapolis' city council, and the first transgender black woman to be elected to public office in the US. Democrat Lisa Middleton became the first transgender person to win a non-judicial election in California, joining the Palm Springs City Council.
Democrat Jenny Durkan became the first lesbian elected mayor of Seattle, and the first woman to hold the post since 1920. Democrat Dawn Adams bested the Republican incumbent in Virginia's 68th District, becoming the state's first out-lesbian elected official.
Democrat Kathy Tram became the first Asian American woman elected to Virginia's General Assembly. Viriginia also elected its first two latina women, Elizabeth Guzman and Hala Ayala, to its general assembly. Democrat Vi Lyles became the first black woman elected Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina. Ravi Bhalla became the mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey and the first Sikh mayor in the state. Democrat Joyce Craig flipped the 10-year Republican incumbent in the Manchester, New Hampshire mayoral race, becoming the first woman to fill the spot.
Ohio Votes No On Controlling Drug Costs
Ohio citizens voted no on a referendum that would have mandated reduced drug costs for those using government programs. Similar legislation narrowly failed in California last year and was supported by Bernie Sanders. In Ohio, drug companies spent millions trying to defeat the initiative. 79.3% of voters said no to the referendum.
No Con-Con
In New York, residents overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to hold a constitutional convention for the state that would allow special delegates to propose amendments to the state constitution. The proposal is required to be voted on every 20 years but was widely disparaged. 83.2% of voters said no to the referendum.
