What to make of midterms

“In case there was any doubt: the Resistance is real,” tweetedjon Favreau, a former speechwriter for President Barack Obama, during last night’s midterm elections that saw Democrats sweep races for New Jersey governor, New York City mayor and all three statewide posts in Virginia.

It’s difficult to know if that is a precursor to something bigger, something that Republicans should be worried about.

Yes, the margins of victory were larger than usual in some of the races, but those states are predominantly red states anyway.

In Virginia since 2009 no Republican has won a statewide election and the state has elected Democratic governors in four of the past five elections.

The same can be said for much of the states on the left and right coasts.

And until Democrats can make some headway with voters between the coasts, Republicans have little to worry about. Having said that the inneff-ectiveness of the Republican majority Congress is going to cost them if they are unable to deliver on key issues moving forward — namely tax reform and immigration.

If they faulter as they did with repealing the Affordable Care Act the time and again, there could be some significant changes.

That doesn’t necessarily mean Democrats will suddenly win in Republican-dominates areas, but rather new Republican blood will be infused in place of the old guard.

This next election cycle is shaping up to be very interesting.

Editorials in The Porterville Recorder are the opinion of the editorial board which consists of Assistant Publisher and Managing Editor Brian Williams. Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions of the authors and not necessarily of The Recorder.