It’s time for Democrats to reassess – or 2022 will be a bloodbath

Former president Donald Trump was quick to claim victory following Glenn Youngkin’s victory in the Virginia gubernatorial election yesterday – but even the casual observer must have presumed him to have his tongue firmly in his cheek. Trump’s “endorsement” of Youngkin was hardly warmly recieved, with the businessman constantly trying to dodge his opponent Terry McAuliffe’s incessant attempts to link him to the former president.

Youngkin’s ability to maintain a distance from Trump without alientaing die-hard Trump supporters in the state was a feat that served him far better than any endorsement did.

Of course, that didn’t stop the former commander-in-chief from sounding the victory klaxon, with GOP chairwoman Ronna McDaniel also chiming in to declare: “President Trump continues to be a huge boost for Republicans across the country.”

“I would like to thank my BASE for coming out in force and voting for Glenn Youngkin,” a statement from Trump said, shortly after Youngkin’s victory. “Without you, he would not have been close to winning. The MAGA movement is bigger and stronger than ever before.”

The polls don’t quite back up Trump and McDaniel’s assertions. Youngkin managed to win support even from those who did not have a favourable view of Trump, according to exit polls, with the majority of voters not among Trump’s base.

However, that will be cold comfort to Democrats. The question of Trump’s hold over the party – mainly revolving around his future plans in politics – has, to a degree, been answered. Republicans are capable of winning elections without the presence of the former president.

Youngkin‘s victory can also be credited to his whipping up right-wing voters’ concerns about conservative flashpoint issues such as education (including fearmongering over LGBT+ issues and the teaching of critical race theory), as well as other “culture war” topics, such as Covid vaccines and closures. He was also widely accused of dealing in dog-whistle racism during his campaign.

But what the Democrats will be wringing their hands over are the missteps that suggest the country is unlikley to line up behind the party come the midterms in 2022. Joe Biden’s agenda has failed to excite even some Democratic politicians, and has been an even harder sell to the general public. Combine that with a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, failure to push ahead with infrastructure legislation, and Biden’s apparent inability to unite the progressives and moderates within his own party, and the future looks less than bright for the Democratic Party.

The “shockwave” Youngkin promised would come with his win must now serve to jolt the Democratic leadership out of its fug. Prior to the election, Nancy Pelosi was begged by lawmakers from Virginia to pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill – the overarching theory being that had the legislation been passed, the outcome for McAuliffe may have been different.

As it is, the party has been dealt a swift blow going into midterms that must force it to examine its priorities on the back of an increasingly unpopular president and a number of politicians who may opt to retire rather than duke it out on an uncertain ticket in 2022.

The resounding hope for the party faithful will now be that Youngkin’s victory serves as a much-needed wake-up call rather than a death knell.

Yours,

Harriet Sinclair

US news editor (west coast)