It’s no secret. Entitlement army to provide the votes, crony capitalists to provide the dough. Cal+Ill+NY = 104 electoral votes without spending a dime and it’s a pretty low bar for a national Dem win.
Except that every metric shows more of us than them. Your scenario does not explain how it is that that army you mention managed to lose to the state level pols you mention.
The reality is that people look at state and fed as two different animals. And Fed is the problem. All the govs and state leg. can say do or pass what they like. Barry then shoots it down in the courts and the fed level gop sits there on it’s thumbs because it likes the feeling and actually supports Barry.
No way to run a railroad. Get rid of the problem or be part of the problem. your call.