The Midterm elections may have produced a mixed picture, it is one that clearly shows the split of the American electorate quite well.
After eight years of absence, the Democrats re-conquered a majority in the House and a handful of governor posts by mobilizing an eclectic coalition of voters: women, minorities and progressive, high educated voters from the big cities and suburbs.
Related coverage: <a href="https://thegoldwater.com/news/41733-2020-Bernie-Sanders-Says-Whites-Are-Being-Made-Uncomfortable-Voting-for-Black-Candidates">2020 - Bernie Sanders Says Whites Are Being Made ‘Uncomfortable’ Voting for Black Candidates</a>.
At the same time, Republicans managed to expand their majority in the Senate thanks mainly to the support of men, whites and (born again) Christians, often from the countryside.
So, the question for 2020 is: which fault lines do these 'midterms' expose?
<b>City, suburb or countryside</b>
The US results map looks a bit like a vast red (Republican) sea from a distance. But in the middle of that sea there are clear blue (Democratic) islands. These are the big cities and their suburbs where, just like on the densely populated East and West coast, the majority of Democratic votes have been cast.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Should Democrats pick a 2020 candidate who can aim for the center and pick up votes from disenchanted Trump supporters, or veer to the left with a progressive who can electrify the grassroots? The midterms haven't made the answer any clearer. <a href="https://t.co/tFIZx5rFqB">https://t.co/tFIZx5rFqB</a></p>— The New York Times (@nytimes) <a href="https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1061329662188679168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Their waning popularity in suburbia is worrying Republican strategists. When the loss of the House clearly began to emerge on Tuesday evening, prominent Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said his party should face the problem "with women in the suburbs, because it really is there."
"You have to learn from every election. I think the President has already started the discussion about a better tone. "
<b>Female voters</b>
Senator Graham's concerns about the loss of female votes in the suburbs seem justified as women votes outnumbered men by 53 to 47 percent this week.
And those female voters voted Democrat relatively more often in the House races (60 percent, against 39 percent Republicans). Six out of ten female voters said President Trump was their main concern. Amongst men, that number was only 49 percent.
Related coverage: <a href="https://thegoldwater.com/news/41847-2020-Dems-Pelosi-House-Meet-The-New-Boss-Same-As-The-Old-Boss">2020 – Dems Pelosi House: Meet The New Boss, Same As The Old Boss</a>.
Women were more likely to vote for female candidates than men, and that resulted in a record number of female congressmen. The new House of Representatives will have nearly a hundred women, about one-third of whom are new.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Democrats won women’s vote for Congress by 19 points, with 59% voting Democrat and 40% voting Republican — the largest margin seen in midterm exit polls. <a href="https://t.co/WobreUeNRg">https://t.co/WobreUeNRg</a></p>— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) <a href="https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1061355313725620225?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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With a total of 435 members, this means that there is still no equilibrium between the sexes, but the old record of 84 women has been amply broken.
<b>Social and economic concerns</b>
A consensus was reached on a number of socio-economic themes. In Arkansas and Missouri, proposals were approved to gradually increase the minimum wage in the coming years to 11 and 12 dollars per hour respectively. These salary concerns fit into a broader trend: more states, both Democratic and Republican, will raise their minimum wages in the coming years.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Gun grabbers gained some ground in Congress. Is gun control a winning strategy in many states now or is this more of a result of historical trends of the majority party losing seats? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ID2AA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ID2AA</a> <a href="https://t.co/ebK8CfdXwx">https://t.co/ebK8CfdXwx</a></p>— Idaho 2A Alliance (@Idaho2AA) <a href="https://twitter.com/Idaho2AA/status/1061391822101012480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Also striking to see was that in three predominantly Republican states (Idaho, Nebraska, and Utah) people voted for the expansion of Medicaid. Health care was one of the most important issues among voters, according to polls, as well as topics like the economy, gun possession, and immigration.
Two years from now that will be no different.
Source:
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2020? I have a feeling many of these dims won't make it until them. Many of us are ready to handle this trash ourselves and we are obligated to do so, by the Constitution. Hanging party 2k19...
The fact that the Republicans won in the senate shows women are still more conservative than the liberal media will have you believe. The main reason the Republicans lost in congress was because congress was full of traitors who sold out the Republican party and the American people. These rinnos had a golden opportunity to support President Trump and the American people and they showed their true colors. They sold out conservative values for lobbyists and payoffs and big business and told the American people to go to hell. The worst was Paul Ryan. We are much better of without that traitor and his followers. A conservative leaning democrat is far better than a sold out fake republican!