Posted on 11/05/2014 1:47:55 AM PST by dignitasnews
While experts predicted a good night for Republicans, the 2014 Midterm Elections turned out to be a stampede exceeding even the most optimistic hopes of conservatives. In addition to taking control of the US Senate and increasing its majority in the House of Representatives, Governors mansions and State Legislatures across the country, Republicans established themselves as a legitimate "big tent party" with ground-breaking firsts from coast to coast.
The GOP gained majority control of the US Senate by sweeping close races through the country, holding a 52-47 advantage as of press time, with tight contests in Alaska and Virginia still to be decided. Voters in Louisiana will return to the polls in early December to settle a run off between Republican challenger Bill Cassidy and incumbent Democrat Mary Landrieu. Landrieu captured 42 percent of the vote, compared to Cassidy's 41 percent. The GOP vote was split as challengers Rob Maness and Thomas Clements combined for more than 14 percent of the vote, denying Cassidy of an expected victory and forcing a run off with Landrieu.
Senator Tim Scott (R-SC)
Representative-Elect Mia Love (R-UT)
It was a big night for "firsts" as a diverse group of Republican candidates rode a conservative wave to victory. The night began with Tim Scott (R-SC) securing the first statewide win for an African-American candidate since Reconstruction as he won his Senatorial contest against Democrat Joyce Dickerson. Scott, who was appointed to the US Senate now owns the seat outright, as he captured 61 percent of the vote, even out doing long-time Republican stalwart Lindsey Graham, who tallied 54.5 percent of the vote in his re-election effort. Scott will return to Washington DC under his own steam and continues to be a rising GOP star, with solid support from Tea Party conservatives.
Mia Love from Utah scored a victory in the 4th Congressional District, pulling away late to defeat Democratic Party opponent Doug Owens 50 percent to 46 percent to become her state's first African-American Representative and the first black female Congresswoman from the GOP. The Brooklyn-born Love gained prominence within party ranks with a stirring speech at the 2012 Republican National Convention and propelled herself to victory two years after losing in her first attempt.
Elise Stefanik (R-NY) became the youngest person ever elected to Congress.
Republican youth was also served, as 30 year-old Elise Stefanik became the youngest female to ever capture a seat for the House of Representatives in our nation's history. In capturing New York's 21st Congressional District, Stefanik will be the youngest elected Republican in Washington, but will come in with national attention given her historic victory. With 55 percent of the vote, she easily outdistanced Aaron Wolf of the Democratic Party, who garnered 33 percent of the vote, and Green Party hopeful Matthew Funicello who earned a respectable 11 percent of the vote.
The tone for the 2014 midterm elections was set early Tuesday with the announcement that Republic Leader Mitch McConnell soundly defeated Democrat challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes, 56 to 40 percent. Many national pundits counted this as a toss-up race, and McConnell's comfortable margin of victory served as an omen of things to come, as GOP rattled off victories as early returns began coming in. Any hopes Democrats had of retaining their Senate majority seemed to be dashed when it was announced that Cory Gardner unseated Democratic Party incumbent Mark Udall in Colorado. Gardner defeated Udall with 50 percent of the vote, compared to the incumbent Senator's 44 percent.
A Republican Party takeover of the Senate became assured when tight races in Kansas and North Carolina were officially called for the GOP. In Kansas, Republican incumbent Pat Roberts fended off the challenge of left-leaning independent candidate Greg Orman, widely assumed to caucus with Democrats had he won. As in Kentucky, the relative ease of Roberts' victory confounded analysts and further soured Democrat hopes, as the incumbent Republican easily outdistanced Orman, 53-42 percent. In North Carolina, a neck and neck race between Democratic incumbent Kay Hagan and GOP challenger Thom Tillis went to the wire, with the Republican upstart pulling away at the end to win 48.9 percent of the vote, compared with Hagan's 47.2 percent. The win seemed to seal the doom of Democrats in the Tar Heel state, who hoped to hold the seat after having lost control of the state legislature over the past two election cycles.
While even Democratic Party strategies conceded the odds of holding on to the Senate were slim, many expressed optimism that the party would make gains in Gubernatorial races across the nation. With four closely contested races still in doubt, Republicans also gained on this front as well. Buoyed by key upsets in Democrat strongholds of Illinois and Massachusetts, the GOP holds a 31-15 edge in Governor seats. In Illinois, businessman Bruce Rauner stampeded to victory over Democrat incumbent Pat Quin, with an impressive 50-45 percent victory over Quin. While early returns showed the incumbent with comfortable leads, Rauner began chipping into the advantage with each reported precinct and easily defeated the sitting Governor. It was a similar story in left-leaning Massachusetts, with Republican Charlie Baker overcoming Democrat Martha Coakley in a race that seemed an impossibility for the GOP only months ago. Coakley joins 2012 GOP Presidential nominee Mitt Romney as Republicans who were able to overcome a strong statewide Democrat registration advantage to take control of the state's highest office.
Charlie Crist (D-FL) was given a thumbs-down by voters, as did his Democratic colleagues from coast to coast.
Democrats were able to re-take the Governors mansion in Pennsylvania, as Tom Wolf was able to defeat Republican Tom Corbett, but this was not enough to overcome additional GOP takeovers in Arkansas and Maryland. In Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson was able to easily defeat Democrat hopeful Mike Ross, who was attempting to succeed fellow Democrat Mike Beebe. Ross turned out to be an inferior candidate however, as Hutchinson cruised to a comfortable 14 percent victory, 55-41 percent. The evening's biggest surprise may have been in Maryland, as Republican Larry Hogan shocked the political prognosticators with a stirring 54-44 percent upset over Democrat Anthony Brown. In the race to replace outgoing Democratic Party Governor and 2016 Presidential hopeful Martin O'Malley, Hogan overcame a better financed Brown to score the stunning victory in this heavily Democratic state. Democrats in Florida also tasted defeat, as Republican incumbent Rick Scott was able to outlast party-switching former Governor Charlie Crist to hold onto his seat and virtually end the political career of Crist, who hoped a switch to the Democratic Party would give him new life and hopes at a Presidential bid.
Democrat tensions will go late into the morning as votes are still being tallied in too-close-to-call races in Colorado and Connecticut, as well as late returns from Alaska. With large GOP margins among Governors, and expected gains on the state legislature level, Republicans stand poised to have sufficient numbers to call for a Constitutional Convention, by invoking Article V of the US Constitution.
The Republican stamped of the 2014 Midterm Elections could also rightfully be dubbed "Big Tent Tuesday" as in addition to aforementioned GOP breakthroughs, two Hispanic Republican Governors cruised to victory in Western contests. Republicans Susana Martinez of New Mexico and Nevada's Brian Sandoval easily withstood challenged from their Democratic opponents, as voters in the state rewarded both with another term by comfortable margins. Indian-American Republican Governor Nikki Haley enhanced her position as a potential 2016 Vice Presidential nominee with an impressive re-election win in South Carolina. In another high-profile Gubernatorial race, Republican Greg Abbott trounced national Democratic Party darling Wendy Davis in the race to succeed Texas Governor Rick Perry. Davis, dubbed "Abortion Barbie" by her critics, was handily defeated by Abbott, who garnered 60 percent of the vote. National Democrats embraced the telegenic Davis as a symbol for their efforts to "turn Texas blue" but were re-soundly turned away by voters seemingly satisfied with the impressive economic progress the state has made Republican leadership.
While Tuesday's midterm election results have Republicans in high spirits, they serve as a sobering rebuke for Democrats at every level of government. Nationwide losses on local, state and national levels leave the party in disarray for President Obama's final two years in office and with lingering questions entering the 2016 Presidential contests. Tonight's defeat seem to signal a death-knell for congressional leaders Harry Reid in the Senate and Nancy Pelosi in the House. For Pelosi, this is her third consecutive defeat at the hands of the GOP, as her attempt to reclaim the speaker's gavel she obtained in 2006 again came up short. Despite assurances to party faithful that Democrats would pick up House seats, as of press time Republicans had gained a net of 11 seats with only a handful of close races yet to be decided, most of which are in Democrat-held districts. Questions abound throughout Washington DC if either Pelosi or Reid will be able to sustain such embarrassing losses for the party and retain their positions of power. Critics on both the left and right have complained that the Reid-Pelosi leadership team has led the party on a downward spiral, relying on divisive rhetoric and unable to formulate an effective and innovative legislative agenda to reclaim confidence from the American people.
With Democrats suffering embarrassing defeats nationwide, the political futures of Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Harry Reid (D-NV) seem very much in doubt.
Democrats were unable to overcome President Obama's sagging approval ratings and lacked a cohesive message to voters. While Republicans made gains among traditionally Democrat-leaning voters, including Latino, African-American, female, gay and younger voters, Democrats seemed a stale party filled with confusion, apprehension and unable to rally enthusiasm even among its most loyal of constituents. As one black voter in California put it, "you can't ignore us, and actually make our lives worse, for six years and then come in at the last week like an ex-lover coming by at midnight for a bootie-call and expect us to go flocking to the polls for you."
In one of the nation's more closely followed House races, openly gay Republican challenger Carl DeMaio appears to have won by the slimmest of margins against incumbent Representative Scott Peters in California's 52nd Congressional District covering parts of San Diego. DeMaio, a fiscal conservative who was subject of an organized smear campaign by Democrats who made light of his sexual preference, held nail-thin edge over Peters, one of the richest men in Congress, with 72,431 votes compared with 71,679 for the incumbent with all precincts reporting. If there is a lesson to be learned tonight for Democrats, it's that while yes, the American people desire change, woe be to the party or politician who attempts to "fundamentally transform" the nation we love and that, even acknowledging its problems, are confident can provide a pathway to the realization of our goals. The Republican stampede in the 2014 Midterm Elections are a combination of a judgement on big government liberalism which has failed to deliver on its promises, as well as the success of Republican-led states, whose low tax and pro-growth policies have produced far more vibrant job creation and income increases for their residents, as opposed to stagnant economies and rising poverty in Democrat ruled states.
Commentary by Paul M Winters Managing Editor, Dignitas News Service
Sources:
AssociatedPress RealClearPolitics
Let's hope the Socialist-lite party fight Obama in that last two years.
HAH!
...and the question that remains, now that the dog has caught the car it has been chasing, what is it going to do?
Answers do not include anything with the word “comprehensive”.
dismantle and or eliminate, should be the first words used to describe efforts to eliminate red tape in government.
Keystone XL Pipeline construction would be a good start on bipartisanship.
Fixing the Highway “trust fund” so there is not only funding, but trust contained in it would be another effort to restore what has sadly been missing from government.
Allowing interest rates to rise as they should have been over the last six years, and reducing spending to cover the interest on the unsustainable debt should be another bipartisan effort.
The next two months are going to be very interesting if the new majority is unable to bring democrats to the table to restore confidence in Government. IMHO the economy better be job one.
Thanks for posting. Pretty good analysis of election results.
There will never be a better time to peacefully reclaim free government. Article V, . . . if not now, when?
Well, we have the cooler animal mascot, that’s for sure.
a stale party filled with confusion, apprehension
The wailing over at DU will brighten your day...
This should say BAKER rather than COAKLEY. Other than that, it's a great recap!
I read some of those threads. My fav was this one...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025762271
WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!!
Bttt
First order of business should be audits of everything. Second order? Criminal charges where required.
I tried to read some DU but they are all so over-the-top stupid it’s depressing.
I am sooo looking forward to hearing what Harry and Nancy and Barbara and Debbie and Diane and Gabbie and Mark and Al and Charlie and Michael and most of all Barack have to say about all of this. Today is gonna be a glorious day! yes sir! I’m going to need a plastic surgeon to remove the grin from my face I think.
hilarious is more like it. I want to gather up their tears in a wine glass and drink them.
I want to gloat. But when I think that nearly 50% of my country is so unbelievably brain-washed and stupid it makes me feel depressed. I can’t read what they write.
Obamacare could easily be made optional, if the ‘pubs are so inclined.
I love how they’re talking about fillibustering everything we try to do now. Thank you Lord for making our enemies ridiculous.
Never ingest toxic waste; you never know what you could catch.
At about 5am Central time, it looks like the Republicans will finish with 54 Senate seats.
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