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Key race alert! The Red Wave is rebranding as a Pink Puddle.
Well, we guess one could call it a red wave, in the sense that the Pennsylvania electorate sent Dr. Oz back out to sea (New Jersey), hopefully never to be seen again on the political stage (or, anywhere really).
Historical trends told us that the midterms were never too hot for the party in power, and despite a policy that seeeems pretty unpopular (Republicans swiftly trying to erode our rights and bodily autonomy), we were warned about this red tsunami, red splash, red wedding, whatever you want to call it.
Yet, like Steve Kornacki and his fashion forward khakis, Democrats never left the board. For Map Daddy and for human rights everywhere, Democrats persisted!!
Democrats managed to flip a senate seat (Senator Fetterman!!! Out with crudites and in with vegetable platters!!) and flipped two governor’s seats. In the House, Democrats like Abigail Spanberger protected seats that were expected to go red. Lauren Boebert, who assumed that Jesus and QAnon would carry her safely back to Congress, is also in a tight race against Adam Frisch. Shocking that people are hesitant to vote for someone who is “tired of this separation of church and state junk.”
And guess what?! It’s not over yet!!! As we write this, Democrats are just three seats away from maintaining a majority in the Senate. Nevada and Arizona are too close to call and Georgia is going to a runoff. We’re in the era of remakes and sequels, so why not have another go at the Georgia Senate race? The first one was so popular!
In what might be the biggest plot-twist of election night, Trump endorsed candidates also didn’t perform too hot. So far, only 3 out of 7 of his endorsements have won in the Senate, which is just about one of the sexiest stats to come out of this election. Trump, of course, said that he should receive credit for victories but not any blame for the losses. Objectively, the math aint’ mathin’ there, so we’re going to take a leap and say that the losses aren’t great omens for Trumpism. Sorry bud, but your whole thing is kinda getting old and we recommend you stick to cheating at golf.
Largely thanks to Gen Z and the Republican Party’s refusal to accept that people like having reproductive rights, the Biden administration had the best midterm performance since 2002. Half of our DFP comms team was still in diapers then!
So, good job Democrats!! You deserve your victory lap and moment in the sun. When you try to own the libs, the libs own you.
Here are some other highlights from DFP this week:
We don’t dress for women. We don’t dress for men. Lately we’ve been dressing for revenge (at the polls).
This election victory is brought to you by abortion. Specifically, governors in red states who are trying their absolute hardest to restrict access to abortion and reproductive health care.
In Michigan, California, and Vermont ballot measures to protect abortion passed and in Kentucky, a ballot measure to ban abortion completely fell flat. In close races, candidates like Dr. Oz (to be clear, not a reliable doctor or ob-gyn) and Doug Mastriano, who want to ban abortion, lost to pro-choice candidates. Clearly, America decided that anti-abortion candidates do not pass the vibe check and really, the only ban we should pass is banning them from any lawmaking whatsoever.
Data for Progress finds that protecting abortion was a crucial motivator for voters. 47% of voters believe that policy makers who passed laws that ban abortions don’t represent their constituents. This includes 65% of Democrats and 55% of Independents.
Quite frankly, we’re not that shocked that old, white men who want to take away reproductive freedom don’t exactly represent their constituents. We know it seems like we’ve traveled back-in-time to the Gilded Age, but we are in fact still living in 2022.
We also find that 60% of Americans believe that the government should not be allowed to police personal decisions about their bodies. This includes 82% of Democrats, 57% of Independents, and 41% of Republicans. Republicans were certainly shocked by this notion on Tuesday when their red wave dreams were dashed. Isn’t this the same party that’s always going on and on and on about individual freedom and keeping the government away from their guns? Seems just a bit hypocritical to us.
With reproductive rights still at risk in red states, it’s crucial that blue states take action to protect and expand abortion access. In our memo, On the Offense: A Playbook for States to Protect and Expand Abortion Access, we highlight a few ways that reproductive freedom states can support those who can’t easily access reproductive care in their own state. Blue states can support people forced to travel for care by expanding the abortion provider workforce and by making medical abortion more accessible. Although the Hyde Amendment prohibits federal funds from being used to cover abortion, state funds can be used cover abortion on Medicare plans. Abortion should be accessible to anyone who needs it, not just those who can afford it.
The midterm results were very clearly a reaction to the Supreme Court’s ruling and the subsequent restrictive laws in states like Texas and Florida. Voters sent a clear message that they weren’t going to sit back and let the Republican Party strip away bodily autonomy. So, to all of the Republican lawmakers and conservative Justices out there, you’re all just demons in a human suit and ya basic!
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