If so, we’ve really got to do something about their only being effective in non-presidential election cycles.
Tea Party was not ineffective. Rather, the Dems got people to the polls. The only way to win Prez elections in the future is to start now developing a masterful GOTV apparatus AND to do a much better job of education through TV, etc. (No, I don’t mean just trashing liberals, as fun as that is. I mean simply doing what the public schools refuse to do — give basic non-threatening education about the Constitution, economics, etc.)
It’s no surprise they have more effect in congressional elections than in presidential elections.
Massive turnout in “democrat safe” districts has no bearing on the statewide results.