“I would have you smile again- not grieve for those whose time has come.” – The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King
At the time of this writing, the major news networks have declared the presidential race for Joe Biden, while President Trump vows to challenge the results in multiple states. I never count Donald Trump out, but with several states to reclaim, the odds are against him. This has led many who voted for the president to feel all of the low spirits and concerns that usually accompany an election that is not trending in one’s favor. Most 2020 down ballot elections, however, DID trend in our favor. Regardless of the presidential race, conservatives earned more support in general. We should feel energized about these seven SIGNIFICANT wins and trends:
1.) We’re on track to retain the Senate.
Going into this election, there was great speculation that conservatives would not only NOT win back the Senate but that we would be demolished on all fronts. Not only did the “blue wave” not happen, but even after hundreds of millions of dollars were poured in by Democratic donors, conservatives did quite well. Although they were at a numerical disadvantage with additional seats to potentially lose, they held fast, and many pundits predict that they will retain a Senate majority. Although this majority will require a win from one of the two run-off elections in Georgia on January 5 (my son’s third birthday!), it is likely that we will win at least one of the two. On November 3rd, Republican David Perdue led the vote count by a small margin, pointing to a potential win, and Republican Kelly Loeffler is likely to pick up the votes that went to the other Republican challenger in a run-off, combining their totals and giving her a majority. These races are very important as a check on Democratic power, so if this race matters to you, make sure to donate to the candidates here: https://secure.winred.com/georgians-for-kelly/perdue-for-senate-defend-the-majority
2.) We picked up seats in the House of Representatives
Like the Senate, pollsters predicted that Republicans would lose big in the House of Representatives. Before the election, Nancy Pelosi expected a gain of 10-15 seats. Instead, Republicans picked up 6 seats and Democrats lost 5 (with 19 races left to be decided and more likely Republican wins among them). Some of those Republican wins flipped seats the Democrats won in the 2018 midterms. This shift was not enough to retake the House, but it was a huge boon to Republicans, narrowing the Democrat majority and putting them in prime position for the midterms. These wins will mean that the Democrats will have one of the smallest House majorities since the 1930s- one far smaller than they hoped for or expected.
3.) We dominated State Legislatures.
One of the most important areas where Republicans surged was in the battle for state legislatures. The GOP held every state legislature they already possessed while flipping state Houses and/or Senates in key states. In New Hampshire, they flipped BOTH houses of congress red. Republicans will now hold at least 60% of state legislatures, giving them an incredible advantage on a local level and a coveted edge during a redistricting year. Being that this redistricting determines congressional boundaries and only occurs once every ten years, the upper hand is a big win for Republicans.
4.) We lead in governorships.
After this election, the majority of states will have Republican governors. Republicans retained all governorships and flipped Montana red, giving them another “state trifecta” of control, meaning they hold the House, Senate, and Governorship in a state.
5.) We have a majority on the Supreme Court.
With the appointment of Amy Coney Barrett last month as the third justice chosen by President Trump, constitutional conservatives and originalists now hold a majority on the highest court. This means that we will hopefully see more decisions handed down that respect the original plain text of the Constitution.
6.) We’re expanding our support among women and minorities.
Perhaps the most exciting trend that we are seeing is increased Republican support from minority groups and more Republican women elected to office. This is a long overdue goal for conservatives. While we have much work to do in appealing to the concerns of these groups, the uptick in self-identified women and minority conservatives is encouraging. The Cuban vote was instrumental in delivering Florida to Republicans this election. As the wife of a first generation Cuban American and daughter-in-law to a proud Cuban American immigrant, this is a demographic that is especially close to my heart. The Cuban vote represents large gains that were made among Hispanic voters throughout the country, while small but encouraging gains were made among Black voters. President Trump enjoyed more support from minority groups than any Republican in 60 years. Meanwhile, more than 20 Republican women won their races in the House of Representatives, including 6 that flipped the seats in their state. All of these women are ideologically pro-life, further driving home the point that pro-life and pro-woman can and do coincide.
7.) We have a good chance to win the presidency in 2024.
While this race is not yet over and President Trump has the right to legal challenges, if nothing changes it is likely that we will see Joe Biden in control until 2024. The pendulum always swings back, however. That election will be here before we know it, and many think it is unlikely that Joe Biden will be able or willing to run for a second term. In 9 days (on November 20), the former vice president will be 78 years old. This means that at the time of a second term he would be nearly 82, and 86 by the end of said theoretical term. If not sooner, Kamala Harris would most likely be given the task of taking his place in the party at that stage. If she should run in his place, that might be a good thing for conservatives.
Although public opinion can change after a presidency and an incumbent politician usually has an advantage, Harris is far more extreme in her views than Biden, and she did not perform particularly well in her initial run against him for the presidency, earning a very small portion of the vote in the primary. This could create a big opening for a Republican politician to swoop in and take back all of the approximately 70 million voters who are unhappy with the projected results this election cycle. If President Trump does pull a win out of his hat in the eleventh hour, the presidency will still be up for grabs in 2024. We conservatives may be able to run someone who we can support without debate or pearl clutching. May I suggest Texas Congressman Dan Crenshaw?
I hope that you, too, are in good spirits after taking stock of our conservative wins and advantages now and going forward! Don’t get complacent, but don’t be dispirited, either. There is still much to celebrate in the political arena and much hope for the future!
Check out these links for more reading on the subjects above:
Predicted ‘blue wave’ fails to reach the House: https://news.yahoo.com/predicted-blue-wave-fails-to-reach-the-house-204712592.html
Republican Women Made Big Gains in the House. Here’s Why: https://washingtonmonthly.com/2020/11/05/republican-women-made-big-gains-in-the-house-heres-why/
Why Democrats Lost So Many South Texas Latinos- the Economy: https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-democrats-lost-so-many-south-texas-latinosthe-economy-11604871650
Why pollsters missed the election results so badly: https://www.nationaljournal.com/s/711177?unlock=A5M4QNJ8UZCBFLHY
Democrats appear to lose key House seats they won in 2018, fail to flip GOP targets: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democrats-house-seats-2018-gop-targets
Republicans Now Control More State Legislatures Than Any Point in U.S. History: https://www.quorum.us/data-driven-insights/republicans-now-control-more-state-legislatures-than-any-point-in-u-s-history/
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Jackie Chea is a blogger from San Antonio, Texas who holds a B.A. in Psychology and an M.A. in Community Counseling from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She writes on political and cultural issues from a conservative, religious standpoint. She lives in the Lone Star State with her husband Nick, her 5-year-old son Lincoln, and her rescue dogs. |
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