Given the contentious and unpredictable nature of the current political climate, we must take stock of the political fortunes, and perhaps misfortunes, of the major parties that maintained a constant tug of war throughout 2023.
It is hard to ignore the success Democrats and Democratic-aligned issues enjoyed at the ballot box.
State electoral victories in places like Virginia put MAGA-allied politicians with higher aspirations, like Gov. Glenn Youngkin, on notice as Democrats maintained Senate control and regained House control, bringing his agenda to a halt for his final two years in office. Victory for Democrats.
Andy Beshear’s unlikely victory in Kentucky, again, provides Democrats with an interesting snapshot into how to govern and campaign in a progressive way but connect with a challenging electorate. Victory for Democrats.
We must recognize two ballot initiative victories in Ohio. First was a crass attempt by Ohio Republicans to head off a November ballot measure protecting a woman’s right to choose. The vote wasn’t close in what has become a deeply Republican state. Victory for Democrats.