Maybe not…..unless you live in an area that had their election yesterday you probably do not give a crap……but maybe you should look at a little that happened.
For one, Chris Christie won re-election as gov of New Jersey and watch for it…..today will be his first day as a candidate for the GOP nomination in 2016……other than that……it was news to make you snooze…..
But if you are a wonk like me their were a couple things that could point the way for future campaigns……
(Newser) – The 2013 election is in the books, and while there weren’t many surprises in this off-year affair, there’s plenty to digest. Here are some bulleted thoughts to help your brain do just that:
- Some polls had Terry McAuliffe ahead of Ken Cuccinelli by double digits, so his 3-point win is something of a stunner, Politico points out. Cuccinelli’s assessment: “This race came down to the wire because of ObamaCare.” Exit polls seem to agree with him, CNN reports; 53% opposed ObamaCare.
- McAuliffe also outspent Cuccinelli by $15 million. Given the small margin of victory, expect some recriminations from the RNC, which spent just $3 million on the race, compared to $9 million in 2009.
- Do Republicans still have problems with women? McAuliffe won women by the same 9-point margin that Barack Obama did, and Chris Cillizza at the Washington Post points out that he won unmarried women by a whopping 40 points. But Chris Christie actually won 57% of women en route to his landslide win.
- Of course, Christie won as “the un-Republican,” in Cillizza’s words. The results suggest that the GOP “would be much better served nominating a Chris Christie conservative than a Ken Cuccinelli or Ted Cruz conservative” in 2016.
- The party might be getting the message. Tea Party favorite Dean Young lost in Alabama’s 1st District—maybe the reddest in the country—because his more moderate Republican foe raked in more money. The race “may signal the coming of a more active Republican business community,” CNN observes.
- Of course, the Chris Christie Conservative most likely to be nominated is… Chris Christie. Pundits everywhere are declaring him the official frontrunner for the GOP nod in 2016. Click for much more on Christie’s win.
- Bill de Blasio’s win was hardly a surprise, but it does represent a kind of revolt in the Big Apple. “He became the voice of frustration for the boroughs outside Manhattan,” says today’s New York Times profile. De Blasio has promised to raise taxes on Manhattan’s high-rollers, a big change from Michael Bloomberg and Rudy Giuliani’s tough-on-crime reps.
There you have it my friends….all the news you cannot possibly use…..enjoy!
You’re right that it’s harder to connect emotionally with contests outside one’s own locale. Here in WA we were voting for changes in laws and town offices, but no state or national representatives.
I agreed with your post-mortem on those other contests, except for the VA governor’s race. Though it was in the mix, I don’t think the deciding factor was problems with the ACA. It was lingering resentment over the shutdown. McAuliffe won his majority because of lopsided victories in the northern counties, where thousands of federal workers had been furloughed. People all over the country still blame the TP for that. It may even be a factor in the 2016 elections.
Hiya Mikey and welcome back……I think the “Cooch” crapped in his chili with all the anti-woman stuff he came up with…….2016 will be a circus but a fascinating one…..hope to see you often…chuq