The tradition of gubernatorial loss in Virginia following a Party's Presidency victory the prior year goes back to Reagan. 1989. Democrat Terry McAuliffe was the latest candidate to fall to this usual flow of American electoral politics.
On Tuesday night, like most of you, I expect, I was wiped out. Virginia lost. New Jersey endangered.
Today, I am thinking we didn't do as badly as I felt.
As Rachel Maddow pointed out last night, Biden made history on Tuesday.
Since the 1980's, the party which has won the Presidency the previous year has lost the governorships of both Virginia and New Jersey during the first year of that Presidency.
On Tuesday, Dems lost only one gubernatorial contest, not two, during the first year of the Biden Presidency.
Virginia where we lost, but barely lost. And we won in New Jersey, in an almost unprecedented victory by an incumbent Governor.
Take this in – the reality is that in the 2021 election on Tuesday, Biden beat almost 40 years of history following his Presidential win.
I think we've have seen a media panic over the Virginia loss, and a Party Panic as well. We have been beating ourselves up since Tuesday. Why not? After all, we are Democrats.
Here are some other Democratic successes on Tuesday night.
New Jersey. First time since 1977 a presiding Governor won Re-election in New Jersey. Closer than expected but Phil Murphy won.
Stronger. Fairer. Forward.pic.twitter.com/cOPKERhVJt— Phil Murphy (@Phil Murphy) 1635999161
Boston. First woman. First Asian American. 2/3 of the Votes. 36 year old Progressive Michelle Wu.
Full Election Night Speech By New Boston Mayor Michelle Wuyoutu.be
Ohio.
pic.twitter.com/IcP1dpQlEH— Shontel Brown for Congress (@Shontel Brown for Congress) 1635903528
Cleveland couldn\u2019t wait. Thank you for choosing me to be your next mayor! Tonight we celebrate, tomorrow we get to work. Join us at http://teambibb.com\u00a0 \n\n: @Ideastreampic.twitter.com/GHnku3ZFUX— Mayor-Elect Justin Bibb (@Mayor-Elect Justin Bibb) 1635912691
BREAKING: Aftab Pureval will be next mayor of city of Cincinnati.\n\nLatest results: https://bit.ly/3EGdlVX\u00a0pic.twitter.com/0wm70MrDNK— WLWT (@WLWT) 1635905041
Detroit.
Progressive activist @gabysantiromero became the first LGBTQ woman elected on the Detroit City Council, and joins only 35 other openly LGBTQ Latina women elected nationwide.https://pridesource.com/article/gabriela-santiago-romero-on-detroit-city-council-win-im-still-processing-my-emotions-and-feeling-overwhelmed-with-joy-and-pride/\u00a0\u2026— Amanda Litman (@Amanda Litman) 1635966701
New York.
New York Times. “For the first time in nearly three decades, all three of New York City's citywide elected officials will be from the same borough: Brooklyn.
On Tuesday, Eric Adams (Bedford-Stuyvesant) won the mayor's race, and Brad Lander (Park Slope) was elected city comptroller.
Jumaane Williams (Flatbush) was re-elected public advocate, an office he has held since 2019."
Plus this.
I was born & raised in Brooklyn. I'm the daughter of Bangladeshi Muslim immigrants, a Lupus survivor, & an activist.\n\nI'm humbled to be the first Muslim woman elected to the New York City Council and the first woman to represent my district. WE DID IT https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/02/nyregion/shahana-hanif-muslim-city-council.html\u00a0\u2026— Shahana Hanif for City Council \ud83e\uddbe (@Shahana Hanif for City Council \ud83e\uddbe) 1635908395
I hope you will share this.
###
