… The real importance of the Democratic victories in Virginia (and New Jersey, and in scattered locations elsewhere) is not that they tell us much that we don’t already know. Instead, they are just a few more data points confirming one of the most dependable rules in American politics: the president’s party predictably loses ground in down-ballot races, and the amount of ground lost is correlated with the president’s unpopularity.
And Trump is quite unpopular. His job approval rating is the lowest of any president on record during his first year in office, and roughly half of the country not only disapproves but strongly disapproves of his performance. The unexpectedly high Democratic turnout in Virginia tonight suggests that Democratic voters are highly motivated to express their opposition to the president and the ruling GOP when given the opportunity—even in the absence of a personally charismatic Democratic candidate. CONT.
David A. Hopkins, Boston College