After Republicans edged out Democrats in a number of special elections in 2017, Democrats consoled themselves by noting how close they’d run in normally Republican districts. Too bad, came the rejoinder from their opponents. Moral victory or not, narrow losses don’t get you political power.
While not wrong, it’s the sort of dismissiveness that makes the current moment sting a bit more. For the second time in a month, it’s Republicans who’ve come not-quite-close-enough in off-year elections, losing a gubernatorial race in Louisiana weeks after similarly getting beaten in Kentucky. What’s worse for the GOP, of course, is that neither of those states are what you might call blue; President Trump won them by 20 and 30 points, respectively, in 2016. CONT.
Philip Bump, Washington Post
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