Posted on 11/08/2023 7:46:44 AM PST by SoConPubbie
Democrats have regained full control of the Virginia General Assembly in a blow to Governor Glenn Youngkin, who poured millions of dollars into securing the legislature for his final two years in office. Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell also saw his Kentucky Governor candidate, Daniel Cameron, lose to Democrat Andy Beshear.
Anti-Trumpers within the GOP ranks have rushed to somehow blame the 45th President for the GOP’s pitiful displays on Wednesday, including an abortion rights blow-out in Ohio.
But Trump’s endorsement of Cameron was a last ditch attempt to save a struggling GOP campaign that has been stymied by its establishment backers, including recent DeSantis endorser Kim Reynolds, head of the Republican Governor’s Association, who failed to campaign or even mention Cameron’s race once, preoccupied with campaigning with DeSantis across Iowa.
Youngkin, who many had tipped to enter the Presidential race if his slate of candidates did well on Tuesday, is also a client of DeSantis’s chief strategist Jeff Roe, which is likely why the Florida Governor’s online operation has been told to trash Trump on the back of Tuesday night, rather than have the limelight aimed at Roe and his network.
The Democratic Party not only maintained its slim majority in the Virginia State Senate, but also seized control of the House of Delegates, held by Republicans since 2021.
Youngkin did not immediately comment on the results. The chairman of his PAC, Dave Rexrode, however, posted on X (formerly Twitter) that “[w]e had hoped for a stronger outcome this evening but are proud of the effort all of our candidates put in to these extremely competitive districts.”
You can blame Trump you can blame Younkin or McConnell and any other GOP person, the facts are Dimwits won where they where suppose to win and the GOP won where they are suppose to win.
I thought his endorsement was the magic bullet. I don't know how many times I've seen threads here about "Trump-endorsed candidate wins" with comments acting like all anyone needs to seal victory is Trump to endorse you. Trump himself tends to take credit for all his endorsees' victories too, sometimes even implying they only won because of him, which probably would be the case here too had Cameron won.
Didn’t President Trump endorse Cameron?
Like I said, DeSantis supporters lack ethics and character.
And while we are on the subject of Cameron, where was DeSantis on the campaign trail for Cameron if he really is in this for the people and not himself?
They continue to NOT UNDERSTAND.
There are no issues. There is the hated establishment and there is populism.
Populism is ascendant. If you do not embrace it as a candidate, you are ignoring reality.
Do not think abortion is all that important, just because the media tells you it is. Replace all talk of abortion with talk about destroying the Swamp and political careerists — and see what happens.
Youngkin and McConnell are rino lightweights without backbone.
I am sure they are, that’s politics but it wasn’t Trumps fault it was to many dimwit voters in blue states, Kentucky is just like Louisiana was when they had Bel Edwards he popular as governor and they didn’t want to change, Maryland had Hogan who is a lefty anyhow but he was a GOP lefty and Maryland is a blue state just like Virginia has become. Endorsements for the most part don’t mean squat.
I didn’t see some big get out the vote effort from Democrats with mail-in ballots/ early voting either. A lot of it is just voter fraud.
They are doing this through the voting machines.
Despite losing both VA chambers, Republicans won every seat up through Biden +9 districts. To hold the state house and gain the state senate they needed to win in districts where Biden won by double digits. That was a hurdle that was too big. And yes, it was a very disappointing loss. (see https://redstate.com/bonchie/2023/11/08/the-2023-elections-produced-a-lone-bright-spot-virginia-n2166044)
However, the outcome is not something that should really reflect negatively on Youngkin.
What is super-annoying about Trump and his advocates is that they have decided that they must trash everyone that could possibly be seen as a competitor to Trump and anyone that doesn’t kiss Trump’s butt. This is extremely counter-productive for the Republican party and for conservatives in general. It’s also one of the reasons that I prefer someone other than Trump for the Republican party nominee in 2024. At the end of the day, for Trump, it’s always about him — he too often can’t set aside his own ego for the good of the party or the country. And I’m tired of it.
Realize that if Republicans could perform in every district in 2024 like they did last night in VA, they would have no problem holding the US house and winning the senate. So I can’t get into another article from another Trump advocate that gratuitously talks down someone like Youngkin just to try to make Trump look better.
VA is/was a relatively low tax state with moderate debt levels. That is now at risk.
I thought Trump only endorsed candidates who were already going to win anyway. I’ve seen threads here about “Trump just looks for the guaranteed win to endorse” with comments acting like all Trump does is endorse candidates who are already ahead, just so he can take credit for the win.
I doubt DeSantis has much clout in Kentucky, but the point I’m making is that people are blaming McConnell and McDaniels for Cameron’s loss which in this race makes no sense.
And polls aside, I’d point out that Beshear won his last election in a squeaker in a very red state. This one wasn’t close.
Yes, but remember that my home state of Kentucky is stuck on stupid when it comes to electing governors with almost all governors being Democrats in the last 125 years.
However, Republicans won ALL of the Kentucky cabinet positions and also won super majorities in both legislative branches. They can override all of Beshear's veto attempts.
Bad candidates first, Trump also an issue, directly or indirectly.
The Virginia voting outcome was a foregone conclusion when they put pot legalization on the ballot too. It works for the dimrats every time.
The Republican party must become the MAGA part to survive and thrive.
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