Two years ago tomorrow the very stable genius helped to turn the town in which I reside from red to blue. The town council went from 8-1 Republicans to 9-0 Democrats. Last night, we swept again in the Town Council and, I believe, we came within one or two seats of maxing out on our representation on the Representative Town Meeting. Republicans narrowly led the Town Council races in only one district, the fourth, which has a high population of Navy folks from the sub base. My district, which contains the affluent Noank and Groton Long Point sections of Groton, went for the Democrats by a rather sizable margin, which may not be an historical first, but is nonetheless unusual, particularly because the present council sort of shot itself in the foot by taking a position on a local Noank issue that didn’t sit well with the folks here. Even I, true blue guy that I am, was not happy with their actions on that one. My own seat of the pants analysis is that the result was caused by a mix of higher turnout (which always favors the Dems) and a Trump induced rejection of all things Republican.
In our neighboring town of Stonington the Democrats replaced First Selectman Rob Simmons, the former (and may he always stay former) Congressman, with an all Democratic, all female First Selectperson and Board of SelectPeople (Sometimes political correctness makes for awkward wording). I may be wrong, but I believe Democratic dominance of that sort is unusual, if not unprecedented, in affluent Stonington.
If this were simply a Connecticut or even New England phenomenon it might not be very important, but it appears to be happening in places in which the Republican Party can ill afford massive desertions and/or higher turnout. Consider that Delaware County in Pennsylvania is now in the hands of Democrats for the first time since the Civil War, and in Chester County, on the other side of Philadelphia, the Democrats swept all 9 county wide races. They have not held power there in living (or dead) memory.
The story is repeated in multiple places. Concentrating on Pennsylvania: If turnout is extra high in those suburbs and the tally in the presidential race is consistent with yesterday’s numbers, then the yahoos in the hills and diners of Pennsylvania can still vote for the genius, but his razor thin 2016 plurality will melt like snow in April. It will take a monumental effort by establishment Democrats to blow it in 2020, and with numbers like this they may simply not be up to the challenge.
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