431 Comments

I still fail to understand how insurrectionists are permitted to run for office! How can there be no accountability for treason?

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At this point, it seems POSSIBLE that the Democrats will somehow retain control of the Senate (the importance of this cannot be overstated), and the feared "red tsunami" in the House will not materialize, though the Republicans will unfortunately still likely retake control (get ready for lots of impeachments and investigations, people). If the Democrat losses are limited, I must say, "Thank YOU, Gen Z voters. Thank YOU, women voters." You may have saved this country from a complete disaster of an election.

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When we finally get results from Arizona, Wisconsin, Nevada, and Georgia, I'll be able to plan next year's vacation, avoiding states that elected MAGA authoritarians and Q nutbags. I will not spend my money in any red state, where they will use it - and the power of the State - to strip away civil rights, rig the electoral system to stay in power, and terrify their residents.

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Thank you for the information. I refused to listen to any media yesterday - it was too anxiety provoking. I worked as a ballot counter in our small town instead. Didn't return home till after 11:00. The usual midterm turn out is about 600; we had 746 voters turn out. Patience, positive attitude and prayer for now.

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The red wave didn’t appear, more like a trickle. I don’t mind, but the dumbest of the dumb were the ones elected. TX, FL, OH, GA? Could they have chosen worse? Doubt it. Not wanting to vote for a dem, is one thing. Voting for someone that put themselves above their constituents is unbelievable.

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I live in Ohio and worked the polls yesterday. The ‘Red Wave’ was palpable here. Thankfully, other places are hopefully saving the day. The Dems work so hard here but this is an ignorant state of Fox News watchers.

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Just keep clearing away their BS, Judd. You’re the best.

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I live in the Upper Valley- cohesive border towns of NH and Vt and vote in NH. All senators and reps here are Democrat (one Socialist). Both states have popular Republican governors. They are pragmatic, pro choice and anti Trump.. Everyone here is pretty respectful. Good model for the country?

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We shouldn't kid ourselves. Democracy (or what passes for it here) is still precarious. The race to the White House in 2024 gets underway this morning.

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Not only did the GOP have a bad night, pollsters and pundits completely missed the story, and created a narrative of a red wave that dominated the media for the past few months. This has real impacts, as it kept Democratic candidates from running, likely hurt Democratic candidates that did run, and kept the national focus off issues that really concern Americans. Especially after Kansas, it shouldn’t have been a surprise.

How do we prevent pollsters and idiotic pundits from setting the national narrative?

Of course another issue is gerrymandering, which is the main reason the GOP will likely eke out a small victory in the House.

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we tanked in Florida, reelecting De Santis and Rubio. It continues to boggle my mind.

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Nov 9, 2022·edited Nov 9, 2022

In PA, many college kids took trains, busses and drove home and did not sit out.

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We are still in a very precarious situation. The Dems won’t ever win big until they embrace getting rid of money in politics as we know it today which compromises every policy they make and the people see through it. Hence why Popular Info is so so so important. Thank you Judd

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As a PA resident that was bombarded with some of the most despicable, lie-filled, dog-whistling political ads for the last 6 months, I was a ball of anxiety yesterday. If Oz and Mastriano won, what dim flame of hope for the future I have left would’ve been extinguished. So relieved to see PA pulled through. Though the county-by-county map sure reinforces that PA is “Pittsburgh on one side, Philly on the other, Kentucky in the middle”.

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I have been so unimpressed with the guardian’s coverage over the last few weeks leading up to this. They have been talking in terms of red wave, reporting polls as facts (it was good to see daily beast talking about pollsters not having a clue but everyone else was talking about democrats losing badly). You never hear about inflation being caused by corporate profit increases or about the high levels of worker wage theft. So relieved to be a subscriber of Popular Information to get a more balanced view of whats happening. Would love to see something on what the amount of billionaire donations into candidates could have paid for in terms of policy implementations instead.

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The fact that Chuck Grassley can still win an election at 89 makes me ill. The fact that Greg Abbott won over the human decency of Beto is disheartening. The fact that anyone in KY would vote for Rand Paul and anyone in OH would vote for JD Vance just makes me deeply sad. There were wins, but the losses really defeat me.

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I phone banked on Monday to help get Gen Z voters to the polls. Thanks to today's youth! I believe they made a significant contribution yesterday. Sad and sorry for the Ohio and Utah outcomes. The better candidates in those states ran great campaigns but came up short in their blazing red states. Still, last night was hardly a red tidal wave. Hoping for Senate success when all is said and done.

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I might be alone in this, but I don't think it's necessarily bad that the Republicans took the House last night. The next couple of years will be be full of MAGA talking points, political payback schemes and chaos. BUT I think it positions Democrats better moving into 2024. The GOP can't just blame everything on "the libs." They will be forced to take responsibility and will enter the election from a defensive position rather than full on attack as it will also be a referendum on their performance.

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Watching closely in hope that democracy wins the Senate and remaining governorship races

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I've gotten farther and farther away from listening to "mainstream media," particularly as it pertains to politics. Even the NYTimes focuses so much on the racehorse coverage, and so little on the actual issues (election denial, neofascism, white "Christian" nationalism vs separation of church and state), I find it extremely frustrating as an educated voter, to listen/watch to the bothsides coverage. Maggie Hassan beat her challenger in NH by double digits, but she was touted as *incredibly vulnerable.* John Fetterman SHOULD have beat Oz by double digits, but the media focus on the aftereffects of his stroke was like the Hillary's emails of Pennsylvania. It made a clearcut race into something close, for no good reason. I can't even believe that Raphael Warnock, an eloquent, ethical incumbent is neck and neck with an essentially illiterate football player who is so clearly a liar, can't formulate a policy position (or probably define the word "policy") to save his life, and has NO leadership experience. I'm sure that beginning today, Ron DeSantis will be covered wall-to-wall in the media like Dump was in 2015, as the star of the Republican party, when he is so clearly unfit to be a President, and should be crushed in any state other than Florida. And all over the media today "wow, that red wave we predicted/enabled hasn't happened, I wonder why?" Ugh.

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I think democrats wasted good pickup opportunities in North Carolina and Wisconsin. They are doing better in the House than expected, had they focused on crime and inflation they’d have done better but this is fine so far. One thing is certain, Trumpism isn’t the force it is thought to be, his candidates have lost every key race and only won in deep red Ohio. Lake could lose in Arizona too

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No red wave is needed to muck everything up. We are still likely to get a "red tide" so about the only thing the D's can do for 2 years is vote on judges. Hopefully the red tide house will go off the rails enough to show the need for a D win in both houses and white house in 24.

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I didn't watch any coverage last night. I need to sleep, and didn't think getting in a car crash driving my grandchildren to school would help democracy. My great fear at this point is that Dems in close races will concede too early. FIGHT FOR EVERY VOTE AND CHALLENGE ANY DISQUALIFICATIONS. This is Dems chance to call attention to every dirty Republican trick.I shall write more postcards!

Also, the Democratic pleas for more money became insane for me.

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Oh good. Now another two years of bombast by trump. In the words of Selina Meyer, "God I hate this country."

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Our country is in deep trouble when someone like Herschel Walker is neck and neck with a highly educated thoughtful civic leader. We are going to waste time with Republican vitriol

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This election begins to demonstrate that the people prefer government to govern and politicians to have policies. The MAGA’s have neither. Now let’s see if the residue of the Republicans can figure that out. Even fascists have policies - albeit hateful. These MAGA’s only have a lust for power for the sake of having power.

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founding

Fascism is losing. We cannot let up. I would like to see a story on the percentage of registered r's and D's by state and the makeup of the legislature. I think the next hat trick for the R's will be to push the gerrymandering that seems to have worked in Florida to other swing states. https://gerrymander.princeton.edu/redistricting-report-card?planId=recGXGgCh8REltOnL

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Youth vote came out. Long hours wait of students at the University of MI. All the Dems at top of ticket won, and State houses may flip, or at least change in GOP strength. Unprecedented vote of 4.2 million in MI is a record for a midterm. Think voters are smarter and more engaged and HCR from History professor from Brown says that it's like 1884, another time of refutation of an extremist GOP!

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We are still in a very precarious situation. The Dems won’t ever win big until they embrace getting rid of money in politics as we know it today which compromises every policy they make and the people see through it. Hence why Popular Info is so so so important. Thank you Judd

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I'm an Ohioan. I am praying that Vance will regain control of his brain that he lent to Trump during his campaign...

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Just a couple of thoughts from a UK expat in RSA. I've been watching your elections and you do seem to make life difficult for yourselves in the US of A.

Why does election campaigning start so soon - about two weeks after the last election? Other countries have a specified time before Election Day, six weeks in UK, IIRC!

Why are candidates allowed to pour so much cash into TV ads? You could have a limit on that (and other advertising).

But it's your country, so, your elections rules. Best of luck!

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There is a beluef circulating in progressive circles, to which I subscribe, that the Democratic leadership and mainstream candidates depend too much on high-priced Washington campaign consultants and too much on TV ads and not enough on door knocking and other grassroots get out the vote activities that are largely powered by volunteers. The corollary is that if some of these volunteer groups got some more funding the Dems would end up with more votes. Judd, is this something you would research as to how the Democrats deploy their campaign cash and what kind of spending is more effective?

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Most disappointed by Stacy Abrams losing. She deserves better.

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Hardly anyone ran on Climate Crisis and hardly any media talked about it last night, as the Cairo international conference on the topic is going on concurrently. Pathetic.

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I'll never understand how these elections work. The amount of anxiety and stress I've been feeling this last week, should if landed me in the hospital. "Red wave coming"- they seemed too confident. Then Michael Moore was assuring everyone "don't look at the polls-it's a blue wave" I just can't understand what happened in GA and FL TX and in Tim Ryan race OH🤯🤯. Where were the VOTERS?? How could they have not of made change? Something's not right!! How much more can DEMS do to get everyone's vote? REPUBS do nothing and they live up and vote them in. It took them 50 years to overturn ROE 🤯so they really give their voters nothing? Dems voters where are you?😭😭. No race should if been this close

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Not only did the GOP have a bad night, pollsters and pundits completely missed the story, and created a narrative of a red wave that dominated the media for the past few months. This has real impacts, as it kept Democratic candidates from running, likely hurt Democratic candidates that did run, and kept the national focus off issues that really concern Americans. Especially after Kansas, it shouldn’t have been a surprise.

How do we prevent pollsters and idiotic pundits from setting the national narrative?

Of course another issue is gerrymandering, which is the main reason the GOP will likely eke out a small victory in the House.

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I’m just thrilled that I can continue to reside in PA and don’t have to find a state without a Theofascist administration in charge.

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I think the words that Tim Ryan spoke in conceeding to Vance should be shown over and over again to reenforce the way our system is supposed to work. He is a class act and a true hero.

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I'm very relieved, having thought things might have been worse (although Simon Rosenberg and Tom Bonier were calling BS on the late "GOP surge" and the red wave narrative for a long time). But my biggest worry now is that the GOP is going to look and Florida and its heinous voter suppression tactics and roll that out in every red state--just massive, unvarnished intimidation of minority voters. I think they will also see Texas as a model in limiting the vote to the voters they prefer. This is what I think we need to be ready to start fighting as soon as we have had a nap.

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In Michigan the Gen Z cohort came through. All 3 ballot measures passed, and the MI House and Senate have the potential to become blue after decades of Republican control.

Best story of the night was how the communities rallied around the students in Ann Arbor (U of M) and East Lansing (MSU) to provide them with blankets and pizza while they waited in line for hours late into the evening to vote. When polls closed there was still a 4 hour wait for those in line to get to vote.

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Maybe….. maybe this can be a turning point forward for U.S. as a nation. I prefer to focus on big picture view today to see where a path forward may open. I anticipate difficult, divisive conflict, and outrageous Republican Party Trumpism in the next two years to 2024 election. Yet, prioritizing both responses to that and to rise above it are essential.

I’m for continuing to build pro-democracy peoples’ voices and power in communities and states to offset difficult times in Congress and national politics. Great work by thousands around the country - a big thanks for that hard work! Also, thanks to you, Judd. Your work helps to make all this possible.

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I just want to say a huge Thank You to all who worked on the campaign! Campaigns workers are like spokes on a wheel, each one so important in performing the tasks to make our democracy work. I am humbly grateful for your efforts, dedication and time.

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Ditto, refused to listen to media yesterday, my heart in my stomach. Dared to turn on my news at midnight, teary eyed through the night and this morning. Deeply grateful to the Americans that SHOWED UP. DEEPLY indebted to all candidates and/or incumbents that face viperous attacks against their persons and family in the name of upholding our Democracy.

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i'm really hoping the GQP doesnt take control. Pleasantly suprised & hopeful that the Red Plague didnt take over and many election deniers & tRUMPuppets didnt win. Dems need to do more to get marginalized, older, low income voters to the polls & push for more mail in /drop off voting. or electronic web voting. my 83 yr old aunt couldnt vote because she didnt have a way to get to the polls, and the idi0t Repukes in my state sued to disallow mail in votes :-( but fortunately Dems in my state all won. However GQP voter suppression probably made a difference in other states.

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If the current trend continues, ‘last night’ does bode well for ‘24.

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1) DeSantis is the new GOP golden boy. The establishment will rally behind him--and stand aside if/when Trump is indicted.

2) Kevin McCarthy is f'd. The MAGA lunatics will make his life miserable.

3) The Democrats did well because of youth turnout. The party needs to hammer the threats to democracy (and within that, threats to Social Security and Medicare) constantly between now and the '24 election.

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We’ve had two election cycles now where the polls got it wrong. It’s time to concentrate on national legislation to revise campaign financing; prohibit dark money; make gerrymandering illegal for any reason and give the power back to the people.

When legislators do not listen to their constituents because their seat has been gerrymandered to the point that voters don’t count,

The time has come for major change.

Main stream media including public radio and tv broadcasting try to make the news instead of reporting it. Social media platforms are quickly learning that embracing conspiracy theories and lies may get likes until advertisers decide their dollars can’t support such rhetoric.

I am cautiously optimistic that democracy won yesterday.

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I love getting the stats on which corps have donated to specific agencies and candidates. I think we should share all over social when businesses go back on their word. Flood them with facts.

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1) Poll reporting should be banned when early voting starts

2) DOJ move to indict 45 before year end

3) Media needs to get it together by acknowledging their biased reporting, erroneous projections and refocus on their role in protecting our Constitution

4) Reverse legislation that now protect social media platforms from litigation due to harmful falsehoods.

5) Dems continue their fight for the working class, for democracy, fill all federal judge openings and impeach Justice Thomas if they capture the Senate, and hire PR folks who know how to message their wins for Americans effectively and consistently. Own their message!!!

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Thank you for the coverage. I'm still gripped by the sense of a country sinking into violent lies, but at least I still feel like I'm living in a disappointing, desensitized, imbalanced quasi-democracy and not just an evil crazytown. I'll cherish the small victories and smaller-than-I'd-feared losses. May the voters keep reading and the readers keep voting!

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