Democrats triumph in historic rout of GOP
It's a good day to be a progressive and a good day to be a Democrat.
As Representative Jay Inslee put it so well, "The days of Republican fear are over and the days of Democratic hope are beginning."
Last night Democrats stormed the gates of the Republican political establishment, crashing and knocking them into rubble. A blue tidal wave of epic proportions swept across the nation, wiping out Republican incumbents and Bush administration allies.
Democrats captured House seats, Senate seats, and governorships - all while holding strong against Republican attacks.
In the critical battle for control of the U.S. Senate, not one Democratically-held seat fell to the GOP, though Democrats defeated four Republican incumbents and stand poised to knock off two more (Burns and Allen).
Right wing ballot measures largely fared poorly across the country. In the Pacific Northwest, the right wing's schemes were being resoundingly defeated by Washington and Oregon voters. Washington State's I-920 and I-933 failed in astonishingly high numbers. The victory margins for both surpassed even the I-912 totals from 2005.
As the Seattle P-I noted:
In fact, if the voting continues to trend the way it has, NPI's home district will turn completely blue. Instead of sending one Democrat and two Republicans to Olympia, the 45th will send three Democrats - Reps. Larry Springer and Roger Goodman, and State Senator Eric Oemig.
In Oregon, Governor Ted Kulongoski was reelected, while Democrats seized control of the state Legislature and mounted a strong challenge to House Speaker Karen Minnis (R) who may very likely lose her seat to Democrat Rob Brading.
The preliminary results from Idaho were largely a disappointment and did not reflect the national trend. Despite running a strong campaign, Democrat Larry Grant is losing to Bill Sali in Idaho's 1st District, and Jerry Brady is losing to Republican Butch Otter by a sizable margin.
One thing is certain: much work remains to be done to turn Idaho blue.
We can't expect to win everywhere, and what's really amazing is how few our losses were. Today is a day to celebrate and savor the sweet taste of victory. A victory that took an incredible amount of hard work and dedication.
All those dollars donated, all those hours of volunteer time...are paying off and reaping huge dividends.
There are a few tight races left in which the outcome remains unclear. One of those is Washington's 8th, where Darcy Burner hopes to defeat Dave Reichert. Another is of course in Virginia, where James Webb has a narrow lead over George Allen, in what is now becoming the nation's most watched race. Recounts are possible.
In Montana, Conrad Burns is getting too close for comfort and has erased much of Jon Tester's earlier lead. In order to win the U.S. Senate, we need to triumph in both Montana and Virginia.
But regardless of the tight races, today is a day for progressives and Democrats to smile, breathe easy, and treat themselves to something special. We've earned it.
As Representative Jay Inslee put it so well, "The days of Republican fear are over and the days of Democratic hope are beginning."
Last night Democrats stormed the gates of the Republican political establishment, crashing and knocking them into rubble. A blue tidal wave of epic proportions swept across the nation, wiping out Republican incumbents and Bush administration allies.
Democrats captured House seats, Senate seats, and governorships - all while holding strong against Republican attacks.
In the critical battle for control of the U.S. Senate, not one Democratically-held seat fell to the GOP, though Democrats defeated four Republican incumbents and stand poised to knock off two more (Burns and Allen).
Right wing ballot measures largely fared poorly across the country. In the Pacific Northwest, the right wing's schemes were being resoundingly defeated by Washington and Oregon voters. Washington State's I-920 and I-933 failed in astonishingly high numbers. The victory margins for both surpassed even the I-912 totals from 2005.
As the Seattle P-I noted:
Washington state turned a deeper shade of blue overnight. Election Day produced big wins for Democrats and progressive causes and broad losses for Republicans and conservative-backed proposals.At the state level, Washington State Democrats saw their majorities padded and enlarged, as Democratic candidates in the 45th and the 48th held the advantage in early returns.
In fact, if the voting continues to trend the way it has, NPI's home district will turn completely blue. Instead of sending one Democrat and two Republicans to Olympia, the 45th will send three Democrats - Reps. Larry Springer and Roger Goodman, and State Senator Eric Oemig.
In Oregon, Governor Ted Kulongoski was reelected, while Democrats seized control of the state Legislature and mounted a strong challenge to House Speaker Karen Minnis (R) who may very likely lose her seat to Democrat Rob Brading.
The preliminary results from Idaho were largely a disappointment and did not reflect the national trend. Despite running a strong campaign, Democrat Larry Grant is losing to Bill Sali in Idaho's 1st District, and Jerry Brady is losing to Republican Butch Otter by a sizable margin.
One thing is certain: much work remains to be done to turn Idaho blue.
We can't expect to win everywhere, and what's really amazing is how few our losses were. Today is a day to celebrate and savor the sweet taste of victory. A victory that took an incredible amount of hard work and dedication.
All those dollars donated, all those hours of volunteer time...are paying off and reaping huge dividends.
There are a few tight races left in which the outcome remains unclear. One of those is Washington's 8th, where Darcy Burner hopes to defeat Dave Reichert. Another is of course in Virginia, where James Webb has a narrow lead over George Allen, in what is now becoming the nation's most watched race. Recounts are possible.
In Montana, Conrad Burns is getting too close for comfort and has erased much of Jon Tester's earlier lead. In order to win the U.S. Senate, we need to triumph in both Montana and Virginia.
But regardless of the tight races, today is a day for progressives and Democrats to smile, breathe easy, and treat themselves to something special. We've earned it.
