American Voters Demanded Accountability. Will Politicians Get the Message?
American voters dealt Republicans a crushing defeat in the midterm elections, giving Democrats larger-than-expected majorities in both chambers of Congress. As of this writing, Democrats picked up a net eight Senate seats, bringing their majority to 55, while in the House of Representatives they gained more than 40 seats, with a majority of 255 to date. The massive “blue wave” is not merely an endorsement of the Democratic platform. It represents a categorical rejection of the Republican Party under Donald Trump, and by staying home or venting their frustration by voting for Democratic candidates, Republican voters played an undeniable role. And how the political parties and Congress respond to the message voters sent will define the next two years and beyond.
Are Trump's Voters the Republican Party's Voters?
I spoke with an Italian American MAGA voter in Staten Island, N.Y., who said she felt no need to deny Trump's shortcomings to continue supporting him. America's problems did not begin with Trump, she said. She believes the government should interfere as little as possible in individuals' lives and regards access to healthcare primarily as a matter of personal responsibility. In her view, Iran had challenged America for years, and Trump was justified in his approach to the war.
Another Republican voter I met in Leesburg, Va., described himself as aligned with Ronald Reagan’s Republican Party. He said he thought Republicans might need to lose in order to find their way back to the principles they once defended.
Trump's dominance fundamentally changed the Republican Party and its relationship both to voters and democracy. But both conversations serve as a reminder that Republican voters' relationships with Trump and their party are far less uniform than they often appear.
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