.DeanObeidallah: The worst news for Democrats this week wasn't even in Virginia — it was in New Jersey
First, the good news — and Democrats could use some: New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy ended the Democrats’ 44-year curse by becoming the first Democratic governor to win re-election in the Garden State since 1977. Sure it wasThe results in Jersey were arguably worse for Democrats than the results in Virginia.
Now the bad news: The results in Jersey were arguably worse for Democrats than the results in Virginia, where Republican Glenn Youngkin beat Democrat Terry McAuliffe for governor. Why? Well, because between 2020 and this year there was a big drop-off in Democratic voters, even though Murphy had enacted a buffet of progressive policies that many believed would increase Democratic turnout.
Democrats need to understand that in off-year elections, policy alone is unlikely to win the day. They also need voters to be “angry.” For example, in the, held during the second year of President Barack Obama’s first term, exit polls determined that 73 percent of people who cast a ballot were “angry/dissatisfied,” compared to 25 percent who said they were “satisfied” or “enthusiastic.” The result? Democrats got crushed, losing 63 House seats and six Senate seats.
We had all the “anger” we could handle when Donald Trump was president, which fueled people to come out and vote Democratic beginning in 2017 through 2020. But with Trump gone, Democrats need a new way to motivate people to vote.
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