The Democrats had a bad Election Day. Not only did they lose the Electoral College, but did so because their coveted “blue wall” was smashed to bits as Midwestern voters came out in droves for Donald Trump. The election outcome revealed the predicament the national Democratic Party is in – they tout strong liberal bastions on the coasts, but lack support in Middle America.
Despite losing longtime blue states such as Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan, Democrats can find some sort of refuge with the fact they are doubling down in places they already have strong support in.
After the 2016 elections, the California state legislature is now under Democratic supermajority control. Golden State Democrats secured two-thirds majority in both chambers after Josh Newman (D) defeated Ling Ling Chang (R) - giving them control of 27 out of 40 state Senate seats. They had already obtained supermajority control of the California Assembly.
Democrats already control the governor’s mansion and both U.S. Senate seats. The supermajority will give California Democrats more authority over raising taxes – something that will probably occur as lawmakers try to fix the state’s poor highway system.
While good news for Democrats living on the West coast, the domination in California and other (very few) states highlights the dilemma national Democrats face. They lack support across the country because they self-pack themselves into small districts. This isn’t just a result of Republican gerrymandering. Counties are local areas of government where borders (obviously) can’t be changed on a whim. Trump won 2,622 counties on Election Day… Clinton won 490.
This is a clear indication Democratic voters are condensed into small districts. This is not the fault of Republican-led state governments, but proof that a “bubble” does exist (at least to some degree) amongst liberals. Despite losing the popular election by over a million votes, Republican voters were spread out enough among key states to deliver victory.
California liberals may be giddy over their dominance in Sacramento, but that sentiment can hardly relate to Democrats working on Capitol Hill.