Election 09 news stories on Newser

Democrats Who Should Be Worried

Kevin Spak — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:30:07 CST

If, as Max Baucus says, Tuesday’s elections should be a “wake-up call” for Democrats, Politico knows which lawmakers should be drinking caffeine: Harry Reid: The majority leader is a little like Jon Corzine; an unpopular incumbent in a state where the economy is especially bad. And like Corzine, his strategy...

Dems Torn: Too Much Change, or Not Enough?

Harry Kimball — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:15:28 CST

Democrats in Congress reading the tea leaves of Tuesday’s elections find themselves split: were the Republican wins in Virginia and New Jersey a vote of no confidence in the administration’s agenda, or frustration that it isn’t moving fast enough? Most agree on the first step going forward: pass health care...

Voters Now a Rampaging Herd

Kevin Spak — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:41:35 CST

In the GOP upsets in Virginia and New Jersey, Daniel Henninger doesn't just see Obama backlash, he sees a voter rebellion from both parties, with independent Americans behaving like stampeding cattle. That independents would within one year swing from Obama enthusiasts to backing decent-to-weak Republicans in Virginia and New Jersey...

Health Bill Will Speed Swing Back to GOP

Rob Quinn — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 CST

This week's election results spell out a trend that should scare Democrats in both red and blue states, warns Karl Rove . Suburban and independent voters turned away from the party at a rate that would have easily put John McCain into the White House last year, and the health bill...

Gay Marriage Backers Say Fight Not Over in Maine

Kevin Spak — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:16:45 CST

Gay rights activists in Maine vowed to continue fighting today, after voters repealed a law making same-sex marriage legal in the state. “Here we are in a civil rights struggle,” said the executive director of Equality Maine. “What do we do in a civil rights struggle? We pick ourselves up...

Economic Fury Is the New Culture War

Harry Kimball — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:19:56 CST

"Conservatives have supposedly gotten their groove back," Peter Beinart writes about the results of yesterday's state races, "but it's not the same old groove." The candidates who won—or almost won—downplayed social issues and focused on the economy, which Beinart calls the “new culture war." Sure, a “jihad against...

Bloomberg Squeaker Embarrasses Obama, Dems

Kevin Spak — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:56:52 CST

No one thought Bill Thompson had a prayer against Michael Bloomberg—no one, that is, except voters. Bloomberg did indeed win yesterday, but it was a moral defeat for the mayor, who spent $90 million and won by just 5%. And it’s an even bigger embarrassment for Democrats, who are...

Blame Weak Candidates, Not Obama

Kevin Spak — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:36:13 CST

The numbers are in, now it's time to make sense of them. Nate Silver breaks down last night's election results: Don’t blame Obama; Creigh Deeds and Jon Corzine were probably just weak candidates. In New Jersey, 57% of voters approved of Obama, but 27% of those supporters voted Republican anyway....

Sorry, Dems, 2008 Is So Last Year

Jane Yager — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:45:39 CST

Last night’s gubernatorial defeats proved to Democrats that whatever magic they harnessed last November has left the building. Off-year elections aren’t usually great predictors, but with the Democrats’ winning 2008 coalition essentially absent, the warning signs are clear, writes Dan Balz in the Washington Post . Most notably, Democrats lost the...