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The White House may downplay Tuesday’s elections, but they predict what will likely happen next year in the 2010 midterm election. For some, the gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey and the House race in upstate New York were a referendum on President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party-controlled Congress. For most, it was the first chance to send a message to both parties that America is still a conservative nation.
Barack Obama campaigned for both democratic candidates Creigh Deeds, D-Va., and Jon Corzine, D-N.J., and tried to use his star power to aid them to win their respective gubernatorial races. That both of them lost is a sign that the president’s command over public opinion is slipping.
Fox News exit polls showed that for more than half of voters in Virginia, this was not a referendum on the president and in New Jersey, 57 percent of those who voted on Tuesday still support Obama. These races may not have been meant as a revolt against the president, but they both send a message Democrats will hear well.
Creigh Deeds is a moderate Democrat from a rural area in a red state — in popular terms, he is a blue dog democrat. The message that Governor-elect McDonnel’s victory sends is that a large number of voters want a conservative leader more than a moderate Democrat. There are several blue dog representatives in the House from conservative districts who saw last night that Americans will remove them from office and replace them with conservatives if they continue to vote for what the president wants, particularly on health care. According to the latest Rassmussen poll, the majority of Americans do not want a government-run public option. Supporting a bill that includes such a provision could be political death for a Democrat in a conservative district.
Corzine’s loss shows that even in one of the bluest states in America, Democrats can be rejected. Corzine is a liberal who many view as corrupt. It was not that long ago that former Gov. Rod Blagojevich was removed from office in Illinois, and mayors and county politicians who are part of the Democratic political machine in cities like Cleveland and Detroit are being voted out of office as well.
Of course, none of this impacts the president at all. But there are certainly congressmen who should worry. Even in a state that leans heavily to their side, they could still be replaced if they do not serve the interests of the people.
The race for the House seat in New York’s 23rd district was the most significant race on Tuesday. I have spent nearly four months of my life in that part of New York. It is full of rural communities in which many Mainers would feel at home. This was the most significant race because the Republican, a liberal pro-choice and pro-gay marriage candidate, lost support from her own constituents who backed the third-party conservative nominee. Two weeks ago, everyone thought a third party still would never have a shot at winning, but Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman made a race out of it in a district that voted for President Obama. Hoffman may not have won, but a third-party conservative coming so close should scare the status quo in Washington.
The results on Tuesday sent a message to the country that the grassroots tea party conservative movement is real and its voters are relevant. Doug Hoffman’s close call is only the beginning, and all beltway politicians need to realize they could be next if they don’t change.
Jonathan Zappala is a junior political science student.
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- Let us vote for change in 2008 by voting for Obama and against fear (April 21, 2008)
- Locals attend anti-war protest in Washington (September 26, 2005)
