Copyright Mechanicsburg Patriot News
By John A. Tures It wasn’t just a Democratic “Blue Wave” in Blue States in 2025. The party did well in battleground state elections in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Ohio races, as well as other elections. By focusing on credentials, simple messages, and issues that voters care about, they did were able to prevail, in a way that the anti-Trump messages of 2016 and 2024 weren’t enough for Democrats. Ditto for the abortion debate. Voters want more. Back in 2018, writing for the New York Observer, I “observed” that too much media focus on AOC and the squad among the new candidates, and other women from that wave election were being ignored. Now, the new New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and the first female Virginia Governor, Abigail Spanenberger, are also trending in the millions in Google hits; it’s not just Alexandra Occasio-Cortez and her friends in Congress getting the attention. It’s easy to dismiss both wins as coming in “blue” states. But much was made about how Democrats were running behind 2020 in both states a year ago. Outgoing Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy only defeated the Republican by three points, and Jack Ciattarelli had more statewide electoral experience than Sherill. Ditto Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, running against a first-time statewide candidate, who made a statement in November of 2025. And Democrats seem to have won the down-ticket races as well, making history there. In bellwether states, it was the GOP that got its bell rung. In Cincinnati, J.D. Vance’s half-brother lost to Aftab Pureval. All three Democratic Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices held their seats. And in Georgia, “Democratic candidates Alicia Johnson and Peter Hubbard, who ran for Georgia Public Service commissioner in Districts 2 and 3, respectively, have defeated GOP incumbents Tim Echols and Fitz Johnson.” It’s the first Democratic statewide win since 2006, and the first PSC win for Democrats since 2000. It would be easy to chalk all this up only to President Donald Trump’s poor standing with the American public in the polls. And Trump isn’t doing well with the public, in CNN exit polls. But Trump was also not doing great with public likeability in 2016 and 2024, but had a better grasp of the concerns of American people those years than the Democratic candidates. Sherill focused on affordability, health care costs and housing, as well as education and early childhood care. Spanberger emphasized protecting the rights of everyone, from voting rights to marriage equality, along with government transparency, retirement and the environment. In Georgia, Democratic leader Charlie Bailey worked to keep the party focused on affordability and numerous rate increases under Republican leadership. The GOP was less successful and shifting to side issues, given the unpopularity of Trump’s policies, not just the person. Attempts to blame the Democrats for the shutdown, claiming Reps. Sherill and Spanberger voted for it, fell flat, as voters consider Republicans more culpable for the shutdown now at 35 days. This doesn’t mean the party doesn’t have problems. But the candidates of 2025 can show the 2026 hopefuls how it’s done. And that means addressing the concerns with voters likes issues of affordability, instead of claiming to be a party more acceptable than the Trump option.
