Democrats Suffer Worst Mid-Term Defeats in a Generation

The November elections went horrendously for the Democrats, suffering their worst mid-term defeat in recent decades. In the Senate they lost nine seats, the worst defeat of any party in the Senate since 1980, when the Democrats lost 12 seats. In the House of Representatives the Republicans enlarged their majority by making a net gain of 13 seats. The defeat of Democrats in governor races was especially stinging, given the unpopularity of many Republican Governors. The only governor Democrats managed to unseat was Tom Corbett in Pennsylvania. However Republicans managed to gain Arkansas as well as three of the bluest states in the country: Illinois, Maryland and Massachusetts! The Democrats also lost badly in other state level races across the country leaving the party with control of the fewest states since the Civil War!

There were a few bright spots for liberals; Alaska, Oregon and Washington D.C. all voted to legalise marijuana whilst Alaska, Arkansas, Illinois, Nebraska and South Dakota all voted to raise the minimum wage. In Alaska the Independent-Democrat fusion ticket for Governor and Lieutenant Governor ousted the incumbent Republicans. In New Hampshire Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen managed to hold off against Scott Brown, making it the only race that was expected to be close that the Democrats actually won. However that was cold comfort for the many Democrats defeated on election night.

There are many reasons why the Democrats lost so badly. The Senate was always going to be an uphill battle due to the number of races held in states that Obama lost twice. Yet the Democrats did worse than they should have, even then. One of the reasons was the abysmal turnout in 2014, at 36.4% it was the lowest turnout since 1942. If you know your history that was in the middle of WWII, when many Americans were a bit too busy fighting to vote. Low turnout tends to hurt Democrats as major elements of their base are even less likely to vote, such as Hispanics and young people.

As a result of the elections Republicans now have control of the Senate and therefore Congress. What they do with this power will have huge implications for the Presidential election in 2016. It also matters a lot for Obama’s judicial nominees who require the approval of the Senate. If a Supreme Court position opens up between now and 2016, expect a truly huge fight.

Obama's party was handed a heavy defeat in the November elections
source:uptownmagazine.com