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FOH Trump: String of historic victories have Democrats feeling wavy again
Democrats delivered a strong rebuke of Donald Trump and his divisive rhetoric on Tuesday night, with comprehensive victories across the nation.
Victories in the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races, as well as key wins in mayoral races in New Hampshire and North Carolina, have Democrats feeling good again after Trump’s election victory a year ago today plunged the party into chaos.
Democrats decimated Republicans across the country tonight, at every level and in every branch of state government.
— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) November 8, 2017
Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez told “Morning Joe” on Wednesday morning that voters are “tired” of Trump’s bloviation and Democrats won because they’re “sane.” Perez said,
“People are so sick of these Twitter tirades. They want leaders they can be proud of. And that’s why people like Phil Murphy and Ralph Northam were able to win – because they’re sane.”
Phil Murphy brought a harsh end to the Chris Christie era in New Jersey with a comprehensive victory for New Jersey governor and Ralph Northam won a Virginia governor race over Ed Gillespie that had turned ugly in recent weeks.
Gillespie, staring down a wide margin in the polls, doubled down on the preservation of Confederate monuments and distributed ads linking Northam to violent gangs in Central America.
Virginia is still reeling from the white supremacist marches in Charlottesville in August and Gillespie attempted to capitalize on the sensitivity of the issue to gain traction in the polls.
But Virginia voters rejected Gillespie’s message and delivered a strong victory for Northam, solidifying Virginia as a Democratic stronghold.
Democrats also saw a wave of historic victories, with many LGBTQ and minority candidates winning for the first time.
Here’s a breakdown of some “firsts” that went down on Tuesday.
Danica Roem becomes first openly transgender state lawmaker elected in VA
Danica Roem, an openly transgender candidate for Virginia’s House of Delegates beat her opponent Bob Marshall, who introduced Virginia’s “bathroom bill,” a piece of anti-transgender legislation.
Marshall refused to debate Roem or refer to her as “she” throughout the campaign.
This one's over, folks. Danica Roem becomes the 1st transgender delegate in VA history, trounces opponent who refused to debate or call her "she." pic.twitter.com/jE6q7iReUI
— Joshua Green (@JoshuaGreen) November 8, 2017
Roem told Lawrence O’Donnell on MSNBC’s “The Last Word” about the historic victory,
“No matter what you look like, where you come from, how you worship, who you love, how you identify or any other inherent identifier that you have, you should be celebrated because of who you are, not despite it.”
Some Fun Facts About Northam Victory and the Massive victory in the Virginia House:
– Northam won by nearly 9 points
– Democrats flipped 14 seats in Virginia House
– Democrats Flipped the most seats in Virginia since 1899
– Roem, the First Transgender, won by approx 10 points— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) November 8, 2017
Virginia elects first Latinas to state legislature
Elizabeth Guzman and Hala Ayala are the first-ever Latinas to win election to the Virginia House of Delegates.
Elizabeth Guzman and Hala Ayala both defeated Republican incumbents tonight to become the first-ever Latinas elected to the Virginia House of Delegates! #ElectionDay #VirginiaElection pic.twitter.com/6XApF5WTrO
— Women's March (@womensmarch) November 8, 2017
Big ups Virginia!
Vi Lyles wins Charlotte, NC mayor race
Vi Lyles took home 58% of the vote against Republican Kenny Smith and will become the first ever Black woman mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina.
Vi Lyles will be the first African-American female Charlotte mayor #CLTMayor @wsoctv pic.twitter.com/YuibomFAzm
— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) November 8, 2017
Framingham, Mass elects first mayor since becoming city
After voters decided to make Framingham, Massachusetts a city, Yvonne Spicer, a Black woman, will become the first-ever mayor of Framingham.
https://twitter.com/commrhetprof/status/928087044156510208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fentry%2Fdemocratic-victories-firsts-election-day_us_5a026c51e4b092053058cf38
Joyce Craig wins mayoral race in Manchester, New Hampshire
Joyce Craig defeated Republican incumbent Ted Gatsas to become the first-ever woman mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire, the largest city in New Hampshire.
Ted Gatsas concedes in Manchester, N.H. mayoral race, meaning Joyce Craig will be the city's first-ever woman mayor. https://t.co/nRZrCjb5n2 pic.twitter.com/HZaYaRYa3b
— NBC10 Boston (@NBC10Boston) November 8, 2017
Hoboken elects Sikh mayor
Ravinder S. Bhalla has been the target of racist flyers implying he was a terrorist as the campaign for Hoboken mayor turned nasty. On Tuesday, Bhalla won the race comprehensively, becoming the first Sikh elected to mayor in New Jersey.
Thank you Hoboken. I look forward to being your Mayor! #TeamBhalla #FinishedStrong pic.twitter.com/UKPuXkDWGX
— Ravinder S. Bhalla (@RaviBhalla) November 8, 2017
Jenny Durkin wins Seattle mayor race
After her victory yesterday, Jenny Durkin is set to be the first lesbian mayor of Seattle.
Despite knocking on doors in the rain, "I love Seattle," Jenny Durkan said in Tuesday night's speech. "Can I just say to Donald Trump… keep your hands off Seattle." #waelex pic.twitter.com/odghCGEhqw
— MyNorthwest 🌲 (@Mynorthwest) November 8, 2017
Progressivism lives.