Once a political narrative takes hold, it’s hard to dislodge. And, one of the most stubborn of those narratives is that while GOP attacks on Democrats for their support of “defunding the police” and ‘socialism’ may not have cost Biden the election, it came close to denying House Democrats the House majority.
Here’s how the Washington Post’s Paul Kane, one of the sharpest reporters on Capitol Hill, described an internal analysis by the DCCC about what went wrong for their candidates in 2020. “With so many freshmen running as still relative newcomers, they often lagged behind Biden in their races.” Kane writes. “And the socialist attacks landed heavier on House Democrats than on Biden, a household name for more than 40 years with a moderate brand.” …
But, when you look at the closest races of 2020 — including those involving the 12 freshman Democrats who lost — this narrative starts to get clouded. In fact, what’s more accurate to say is that Republicans had an easier time distancing themselves from Trump than Democrats had in out-running Biden’s showing in their CDs. CONTINUED
Amy Walter, Cook Political Report
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