Election 2022: Democrats Are Going To Win Again

[Ben-Prime]

I am trying hard to get past the fact that my state did, indeed, have a red wave.

Waving at you from Floriduh.

Do we dejected Florbowsians have some kind of secret fist bump now? Because I think we should have a secret fist bump now. Or, for those still observing public health protocols, an elbow bump. A three stage elbow bump with a blow up at the end. But totally secret.

[TheNewSaint]

I left Florida permanently in 2007. I've never regretted it.

[bill_g]

I left in 74 permanently.

[Shizzle Popped]

Here in suburban Indianapolis I knew that my votes weren't going to help turn any of the main races blue. Not a single democrat was elected from my area of the state. The county level races were all republicans without a singe democrat running against them. The two judges on the ballot were both republican and it was just a question of whether to retain them. My only compelling reason to vote was that there were 3 or 4 people running for the local school board who are rabid "parental rights" types; anti-mask mandate, want to alter the curriculum to eliminate LGBTQ and equality teaching, and ban books. The one bright spot in the election here is that all of them lost and the three that were elected appear to be perfectly reasonable and maybe a little on the liberal side.

[TheNewSaint]

excellent chance Democrats will WIN both NEVADA #CortezMasto & ARIZONA #MarkKelly, making GEORGIA #Warnock a cherry on top.

Warnock would be a lot more than that; he'd render Joe Manchin irrelevant.

[W. Kevin Vicklund]

Program note: The role of Joe Manchin will be played by the US House

[Dr. Ken]

[Ben-Prime]

excellent chance Democrats will WIN both NEVADA #CortezMasto & ARIZONA #MarkKelly, making GEORGIA #Warnock a cherry on top.

Warnock would be a lot more than that; he'd render Joe Manchin irrelevant.

Basically, he'd make it that the Democrats only have to appease either Manchin or Synema, and not have to triangulate between both of them.

[June bug]

Program note: The role of Joe Manchin will be played by the US House

Not that I like it, but the way you put it did make me laugh.

[Slim Cognito]

And Sinema has to choose between getting re-elected or getting rich.

[SuzieC]

After Mark Kelly's fairly comfortable win, I have a feeling that she will announce, sometime this year, that she's not running for re-election.

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

Arkansas went red all the way. The good news is that the candidates whom Progressive Arkansas Women PAC helped get elected two years ago ran for re-election without opposition! Eleven of them! All women!

The other good news was that all the constitutional amendment issues were defeated. The marijuana one would have established a constitutional monopoly for retail sales of marijuana.

[Azastan]

A race no one has mentioned yet is one occurring right here in my home district, WA's 8th Congressional.

Long held by Dave Reichert, he retired in 2017 at the end of his 7th term. Dr Kim Schrier ran against Dino Rossi, and she flipped the seat to become the first Democrat to represent the district.

The district was adjusted so that it was more reliably Republican during Reichert's tenure, and it was again adjusted for this election cycle. It is the ONLY Congressional district which has constituents in both western and eastern Washington. It includes the eastern parts of King and Pierce counties, almost all of Snohomish county, and all of Chelan and Kittitas counties.

For this election, Dr Schrier ran against Matt Larkin, a MAGA nut.

It was closer than it should have been due to the redrawing of the district boundaries, but Dr Schrier won.

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

Hooray, Azastan!!!

[bill_g]

I am really tired of voting districts that make no sense except to favor a political party. They need to be uniform polygons with the only exceptions being city, state, and federal boundaries, and natural features like rivers. I'm pretty certain a computer program could knock these out rather quickly.

[Phoenix520]

That’s great news, Azastan. Is she a horsewoman, too? That would be the cherry on top.

In general, this is a year in which we the peeps said Nope to the perps.

[Slarti the White]

I am really tired of voting districts that make no sense except to favor a political party. They need to be uniform polygons with the only exceptions being city, state, and federal boundaries, and natural features like rivers. I'm pretty certain a computer program could knock these out rather quickly.

It's not quite as simple as that -- here is a website on quantifying gerrymandering by a group at Duke (run by Jonathan Mattingly, an acquaintance from my time at Duke): https://sites.duke.edu/quantifyinggerrymandering/ He points out that gerrymandering is not a binary thing, but a spectrum. It is possible to have standards that ensure fairness, but setting up something that both works and can be sold politically isn't as easy as you would think...

[Azastan]

That’s great news, Azastan. Is she a horsewoman, too? That would be the cherry on top.

In general, this is a year in which we the peeps said Nope to the perps.

I don't know about horses specifically, but one of her ads featured her talking about caring for animals, so she's definitely in tune with animal rescue.

She has a degree in astrophysics, and is a medical doctor whose focus was pediatrics.

[New Turtle]

In a state like Florida, it's much easier to let the governor draw his own districts and hold the state government hostage until they say OK.

[Frater I*I]

The other good news was that all the constitutional amendment issues were defeated. The marijuana one would have established a constitutional monopoly for retail sales of marijuana.

Good to know you're looking out for those hard working street dealers....

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

From Frater: Good to know you're looking out for those hard working street dealers....

I do what I can!

[New Turtle]

This was an important hold. If Katie Porter can hold her seat, the House may end up 218-217 either way.

Basically comes down to 5 races in CA.

[keith]

I am really tired of voting districts that make no sense except to favor a political party. They need to be uniform polygons with the only exceptions being city, state, and federal boundaries, and natural features like rivers. I'm pretty certain a computer program could knock these out rather quickly.

Certainly. we were doing that in Tucson in the 70's.

Not strict polygons, but coherent boundaries.i had to trick our Fortran compiler to be able to read Census tapes.

[Dr. Ken]

[New Turtle]

They are starting to count more mail ballots in the CA races, this is what is driving the democrats into the lead there.

Porter and Levin are expected to win their races. Those are a must for the democrats to have a chance to hold the House.