The Republican tragedy continues. The latest example is Mississippi, the state that took 145 years to send an African American back to the Senate. Alaska may not be far behind, with a potentially similar outcome that could bring the Democratic caucus to 56 senators. In the House of Representatives, the numerical disaster is even greater. The projected minimum for the blue wave is around 255 seats, compared with 180 for Republicans, while the maximum could reach 260 Democratic seats against 175 Republican ones.
Why did Republicans end up in this situation? Trump, from beginning to end. From the war to his stranglehold on the party and his purge of anyone who dared challenge him, even highly capable figures with long records of representing their constituencies. Yet this outcome would not have been possible without Democratic candidates themselves, across the length and breadth of America, waging their campaigns with exceptional intelligence, modern strategies, and an ability to mobilize energy from the grassroots up, rather than trying to impose it from the top down, as Trump attempted to do in the final weeks. He reduced the entire campaign to asking Republicans to imagine themselves casting their ballots for him.
The Republican platform was vague and ambiguous, asking its supporters to use their imagination when voting. Republicans made no promises to resolve all the outstanding problems that had persisted over the previous two years. All they did was sound the alarm about the radical left at times and radical Islam at others. When it came to the real questions preoccupying Americans, voters found that Democrats were the ones thinking about them and trying to provide answers, regardless of party affiliation.
James Talarico, who won in Texas, took his message to the streets, focusing on healthcare, the cost of living, housing, and education. He reached out to people directly, asking them for "five dollars," rejected donations from corporate political action committees, and relied on social media to deliver a message of unity among Americans of different political and ethnic backgrounds, who nevertheless share the fundamental challenges outlined above. This is what Abdul El-Sayed did in Michigan and Scott Colom in Mississippi, and the list goes on.
Then there was Generation Z. Tens of thousands of young people volunteered, and Democratic candidates knew how to speak their language and harness their energy, enthusiasm, and familiarity with the "new" world of communication. In this world, fear-based television advertising no longer works, nor is it convincing for an 80-year-old president to ask voters to support his candidates simply because they love him.
This is a world that has changed, something Republicans either failed to notice or were unable to keep up with. But it is also a world changing for the Democratic Party itself, challenging its old guard and decision-makers. Unlike the Republicans, however, the Democrats do not have a single figure at the helm, as Trump does. The party also proved adept at reading the major shifts taking place in American society and decided to follow the momentum of its candidates rather than the other way around. Those candidates brought the party to where it is today, just as Trump brought his party to where it is.
It is hardly news that America has grown tired of Trump. Democratic candidates picked up on this early and set out to explain to Americans why they were fed up with him, offering them a simple solution: vote for us. And they succeeded, not only in changing the face of America but also in transforming their own party.
