Democrats see small wins in low-key races, fueling hopes for November

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Hill

02/15/25 6:00 AM ET


Democrats are already seeing some small victories in under-the-radar races in the beginning of 2025, with the party hoping they can maintain that energy heading into November as they look to flip the Virginia governor’s mansion and hold off GOP opponents in other elections.

The party flipped a state Senate seat in Iowa last month, while a Democrat recently ousted a conservative mayor in Norman, Okla. Meanwhile, in New York, Democrat Ken Jenkins won a county executive seat, improving on the party’s November performance there. And last month, the Democrats retained their control over a Loudoun County, Va.-area state House and Senate seats after the party underperformed in November.

The victories continue a trend the party has seen for multiple cycles in which it has won big in off-year elections where President Trump wasn’t on the ballot. But some in the party argue more needs to be done in order to turn out voters ahead of the first major high-stakes races following Trump’s victory in November.

“I would describe most of these races as simply Democrats holding serve, with the big exception of an Iowa state Senate race where Democrats flipped a district that Trump had won by roughly 20 points,” said Kyle Kondik, managing editor at Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics. In the Westchester County executive race, Democrat Ken Jenkins handily defeated his Republican opponent 64 percent to 36 percent after President Trump improved his standing in the county from 2020 to 2024.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5146581-democrats-win-special-elections/

[displacedvermoter]

1. It was supposedly indicative of good things to come last November

Didn't pan out I fear.

[BumRushDaShow]

2. Well I think it was noted that Presidential years get the "astrisk" (my term for what happened in 2024)

(and also noted in the article)

It goes back to that big segment of the populace who only vote every 4 years. But what DID happen was that Democrats actually picked up a U.S. House seat for that election (the Senate had always been tenuous as it is).

What it took to basically keep things at a near stand-still could also be noted. I.e., the GOP didn't have a "wave election" in 2024 (even with taking the Presidency). They pumped huge amounts of money (still not all reported but some more numbers have been trickling out post-election like 1 Muskrat man's $250 million SINGLE contribution to "buy the Presidency" ).

But this is where (and I have posted this before) Democrats need to focus on elections that happen somewhere, at every level, EVERY YEAR and not just for the every 2-year national elections. It's long past time we claw back our states (and we have slowly been doing that, with a few setbacks in some cases, but with net increases for the most part).

[displacedvermoter]

5. Excellent analysis that explains a lot

Thank you.

[elocs]

4. Democratic complacence and overconfidence. n/t

[mdbl]

6. They don't have any room for that

If that's their demeanor there is no hope for returning to normalcy.

[Polybius]

3. Virginia's governor's race is an almost lock for us

Probably NJ too.