We won bigger than is being said. Probably 37 seats in the House. 37 seats. Do I hear a Wow!
It takes 219 votes to pass bills in the House. We already have 229 this morning, thanks to Blue races which have been settled, but we lead in 8 others. Expect Blue wins.
Some of our losses, especially those which came early, hurt, and caused doubt and anxiety.
The amazing truth is not that we lost but that we almost won in key races which engaged our hearts and souls - in Kentucky (Amy McGrath), Texas (Beto and MJ Hegar), in Florida (Gillum) and Georgia (Stacey Abrams, but she may pull this out yet). These Freedom Fighters almost, almost won in Red, Red frontline strongholds, and Stacey Abrams, still fighting for Georgia and America, has not conceded this morning, and even promised to keep fighting until every vote is counted," in a state where her opponent, in his alternate of role as Secretary of State, practiced the GOP fine art of racial voter suppression.
Propelled by an unusually high turnout that defines the intensity of the anger against Trump and the enabling GOP, suburban and metropolitan voters rejected the occupant of the White House.
Areas that once were assumed to be Republican strongholds showed Popeye levels of strength for Democrats.
For the first time, more than 100 women will hold to seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, shattering the previous record of 84. And that new Congressional class is full of firsts itself:
Ayanna Pressley, a Democrat, will be the first black woman in a Massachusetts. Congressional delegation.
The previously all male Pennsylvania Congressional delegation will now have 4 women.
Democrats Sharice Davids in Kansas and Deb Haaland in New Mexico became the first Native American women in Congress. Sharice who is a lesbian was subject to racial and homophobic attacks.
Congress now has two female Muslim representatives: Rashida Tlaib (Michigan) and Ilhan Omar (Minnesota), both Democrats.
Let us count our additional blessings too.
Hey, we beat union busting, voter suppressing, health insurance ending, Gov. Scott Walker, the Wisconsin Republican, and captured the governor office in Michigan — two states that Trump, and his Russian friends, carried in 2016. Did these states vote Blue then? Hmm.
We won Georgia 6 (Lucy McBath defeated abortion leader Karen Handel in the district that Jon Osoff narrowly lost in a special election last year) and we kicked Dana Rohrabacher who salutes the Kremlin way out (CA-48).
In Nevada , Dean Heller will be replaced by Jacky Rosen as Senator.
Kris Kobach, Trump ally and architect of GOP voter suppression, lost big in the Kansas Governor race to Democrat Laura Kelly.
Bruce Rauner lost to J.B. Pritzker who will be governor of Illinois.
Jared Polis won in Colorado, becoming the nation's first out gay person elected
Pete Sessions lost to Colin Allred in Texas CD 32.
Dave Brat lost to Abigail Spanberger in VA CD 7, and there are other Virginia victories too : Elaine Luria (VA CD 2) and Jennifer Wexton (VA CD 1). Tim Kaine returns to the Senate from Virginia, having defined what landslide means.
Kim Davis, KY clerk, who refused to license a same sex couple to marry, lost.
Zach Wahls, who seven years ago stood before the Iowa House of Representatives and delivered a stirring speech defending his two lesbian mothers, took 78 percent of the vote in Iowa Senate District 37. Zach is 26.
Eight other gubernatorial races (nine races in total including Laura Kelly's) are projected to go to Democratic women, including Gretchen Whitmer (Michigan), Michelle Lujan Grisham (New Mexico), and Janet Mills (Maine) who are first time governors. Mills replaces racist, extremist Paul LePage.
In an election cycle marked by the women candidates for Congress, the gubernatorial victories stand out since women face even starker underrepresentation at that level. There are currently only 6 female governors and 22 states have never had female governors. That number is now 20.
Yes, the brave and moral Heidi Heitkamp and Claire McCaskill lost. We mourn that. Terrible. And the Florida Senate and Governorship are also terrible losses.
What are Floridians thinking? Andrew Gillum is an amazing person and leader; Ron DeSantis, a racist creep. Bill Nelson who was a lack luster Democratic incumbent Senator lost to that other racist creep Rick Scott. Did the Parkland kids not matter? Do Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid not matter? Do the Everglades and Climate Change ( with attendant sea levels and intense hurricanes) not matter?
But keep in mind that these two Florida races were 50/50 nail biters, and we won Prop 4 allowing Felons to vote and some good Congressional races in Florida too (Donna Shalala in CD 27 and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell in CD 26.)
Next time, I vow, we win Florida.
But, all in all, looking over the election results last night, I won't complain.
The major relief: We no longer have unAmerican one party control in DC.
And Nancy Pelosi is again the speaker of the House, Adam Schiff is Chair of the Intelligence Committee, Elijah Cummings heads Oversight, Maxine Waters heads the Financial Services Committee and Jerry Nadler - my own representative- chairs Judiciary.
The end begins, January 1, 2018. #LameDuckDonald begins.
He already started squealing and threatening this morning.
We must do our work - though some is already done just by the win. The ACA is now safe, immigrants are safer, and so too are those with pre-existing health conditions and older Americans with Medicare and Social Security.
We will be active on behalf of America, as we wait for Mueller.
The end begins.
You can say I told you so.
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November 7, 2018
Post Script. Dear everyone who voted Blue, Thank you. ❤️. This is my roundup on what happened yesterday. #LameDuckDonald begins. Read and share and let me know your thoughts. #Midterms2018
Democrats Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakotas
