Here’s how the Democratic Party can rise again
Greg Sargent reminds us that in 2017 and 2018 there are 38 gubernatorial races. The governors’ mansions are what to watch.
Click here for reuse options!There are more than three dozen gubernatorial races taking place in the next two years. And they could do a tremendous amount to set the party on the path out of the wilderness in the Age of Donald Trump — with potentially significant national ramifications that could stretch well into the next decade, for instance by having a substantial influence over the redistricting of House seats, which could help determine control of the Lower Chamber in the 2020s.
Of course, the current state of affairs is dire indeed. Not only has the Democratic Party been shut out of Washington, where the GOP controls both the White House and Congress, but the carnage is widespread on the state level, too: Next year, Republicans will control more than 30 governors’ mansions nationwide, and have total control (meaning GOP governors and GOP control of both state legislative chambers) in some 25 states. By contrast, Democrats will have total control in all of five states. The 2018 Senate map looks grim for any prospects of a Dem takeover, and the House is all but certain to remain out of reach in 2018 as well.
But the other part of the story is that, in 2017 and 2018, there will be a total of 38 gubernatorial contests…
Of these races, those that will feature Republicans defending GOP-held seats (depicted in red and pink) will vastly outnumber those that will feature Democrats defending Dem-held seats (depicted in blue). The vast majority of these races take place in 2018 (only two, Virginia and New Jersey, take place next year), so we’re really talking about the 2018 map here. It has big transformative potential for Democrats, since many of the states in which Republicans are defending seats are ones Barack Obama (and to a lesser extent Hillary Clinton) won.
Copyright 2016 Liberaland
9 responses to Here’s how the Democratic Party can rise again
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Buford2k11 November 26th, 2016 at 10:31
yep…The States is where the real political power still remains….The Koch brothers recognized this, long ago…if you follow the money, if you follow ALEC written legislation, and where those laws were passed, you will find their stench, and their strength….they have been on the leading edge of de-educating America…one school board at a time…look at Kansas, for proof that this is what the Koch agenda is all about…Now, they have puppets in the Executive branch of our government…Coupled with the Republicans in the State houses, they can push their agenda for rewriting our Constitution…I think that may have been their overall plan to begin with…If one steps back and looks at the picture that is forming…I see a huge Russian influence building…Oligarchy…Trumpian Oligarchy…we are seeing a hybrid Dictatorship in the making…Not only Hitler-esque, or Moussilini-ish, Kim il Jung-ian, and a Stalin/Lenin flavor, there will be other types of dictators…Papa Doc, Castro, Duarte….all rolled up in one orange-shitgibbon dictator…backed by the most corrupt congress in history…Once the First Amendment is overturned, then we will see what happens next…yes, I am paranoid, and scared, and frustrated….I don’t see any way out…
Suzanne McFly November 26th, 2016 at 17:14
Hug Noodles, get away from the computer and turn off the TV and go for a walk with your camera. Just breath and take a break, there is nothing we can do at this moment that will make a difference.
Buford2k11 November 26th, 2016 at 17:49
hehehe…yer so smart…I went to a funeral of the Dad of one of my best friends, today…He was 91 and suffering from Alzheimer’s…Orville was a great guy, grew up on a dairy, sold it and went into business of building houses…the neighborhood where lived out his last days always looked out for him…if we were lounging around outside and saw Orville start to wander off, we would go say hi, and steer him back into his yard…After the funeral we commenced with the commiseratin’, if’n ya know what I mean…It gives one perspective as I watched the loving family, grieving together, and celebrating Orville’s life, in which the 7 grandkids, and 29 Great Grandkids would not be around if it weren’t for Orville…perspective….
Suzanne McFly November 26th, 2016 at 18:00
Yeah, stuff like that can bring your feelings to the surface. Makes you know your still alive. He lived a good life it seems, glad he had you in his life.
mea_mark November 26th, 2016 at 19:22
Sage advice. I like my breaks in the garden. Connecting with nature helps a lot.
Suzanne McFly November 26th, 2016 at 19:43
Definitely, I am a hiker and I love to take long hikes. Winter is here and without layers on, I can’t hike for long before it gets too cold.
Evan Strong November 26th, 2016 at 22:18
The party needs to stay the course. Elitist snobbery is going to make a come back. Pelosi needs to stay in her job. A separate carve out nation for blacks is worth considering as Keith Ellison proposed so he should run the DNC. He can make reparations the big campaign issue in 2020. All Republicans are racist but there should be a grading system for them. This way they can progress from level 5 to a level 1 racist as the campaign goes on. Or maybe level 1 can just be called “Trump”?
William November 27th, 2016 at 01:38
Racist always talking sh*t from the safety and anonymity of their keyboards. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b5a393633c6d90b90ac1598569a43a6bdf075ac1dceb71267ad12712cbdd2032.jpg
eyelashviper November 27th, 2016 at 10:53
I wish I could be more hopeful, but given the percentage of people who came out to vote in this most crucial election, and the possibility of election shenanigans, I am just very concerned that people will not catch on until it is far too late.
What will it take for people to finally understand that elections have consequences? When they are being carted off to a camp, deported, imprisoned, left homeless and without healthcare, etc????