Politico: Republicans reel as Dem over-performances hit a swing state and MAGA country

[Dennis Donovan]

Politico - Republicans reel as Dem over-performances hit a swing state and MAGA country

Democrats clinched a landslide victory in Wisconsin and made inroads in two deep-red Florida districts, spelling trouble for Republicans.

By Irie Sentner

04/02/2025 12:55 AM EDT

Republicans emerged from Tuesday’s elections on shaky footing.

Over the past 10 weeks, President Donald Trump and Elon Musk have worked to hobble the federal government, pummel into submission the country’s most powerful independent institutions and enact a sweeping nationalist agenda with little regard — and often disdain — for political norms and the Constitution itself. And they’ve done so with near-universal support from the GOP in Washington.

Then the voters got the chance to speak.

In two deep-red House districts in Florida, Republicans had lower-than-expected margins as they clinched the safe seats vacated by “America First” royalty only after sending in national and state reinforcements, including Trump himself, to drum up support. And in Wisconsin, they suffered a crushing defeat in a record-breakingly expensive Supreme Court race. After Musk’s money and personality dominated the contest, liberal Judge Susan Crawford secured a 9-point victory against Trump’s endorsed candidate, Brad Schimel.

“I’m honestly shocked. I thought we had it in the bag,” said Pam Van Handel, chair of the Republican Party of Wisconsin’s Outagamie County. “I thought [Musk] was going to be an asset for this race. People love Trump, but maybe they don’t love everybody he supports. Maybe I have blinders on.”

/snip

[tanyev]

1. Maybe, just maybe, Elon is not nearly as smart as he claims to be.

[dutch777]

2. Yep, you have blinders on AND you are brain dead if you stay on the Trump path.

[Dulcinea]

3. "People love Trump... Maybe I have blinders on."

No, you have it wrong. Lots of people not only don't love the Fascist Felon, they actively despise him.

Eloon Muskovite is an asset? Try asking the federal employees who lost their jobs to pay for his tax cuts.

Bless your heart, as they say in the South.

[elocs]

8. "Eloon Muskovite" I've always wondered why it is juvenile when Trump mocks names,

but we at DU think it is clever when we do the same thing?

[tanyev]

12. Because there is a higher standard of communicating for the President of the United States of America

than for random smart alecks on the internet. Or there used to be.

[elocs]

15. So it's ok for the random smart aleck's here on DU? I still don't get, I still won't do it.

Maybe it comes from having a degree in journalism. It's the same as the casual use of "fuck" I commonly read here. I was taught that swearing was a sign of a limited vocabulary. It's not that they're words I've never used myself, but I don't use them casually and never in writing because it's lazy writing.

[moonbeam23]

13. Because

it IS clever! i'm in awe of liberal humor

[senseandsensibility]

16. Yes

Five year old name calling is not clever or funny no matter who does it. Witty puns and wordplay are clever and funny and are appropriate for average people trying to lighten the mood on a message board. It's really not that complicated.

[elocs]

22. In other words, you're a legend in your own mind. n/t

[NBachers]

24. I call Republicans "Pukes;" short for Repukelicans; or Maggots, an onomatopoetic word play on MAGA. And who can forget

their self-owned Tea Baggers?

Nope, I won't stop doing this. I'm just too juvenile.

[pat_k]

20. She supports 47. No "maybe" about it.

Whether brainwashed or evil, she certainly has "blinders on" when it comes to 47's thoroughly Un-American racist, Christian Nationalist, woman-hating, zenophobic, autocratic agenda that has been shoved down our throats by greedy, inhumane billionaires.

[Bengus81]

25. Yeah lady,everyone on FOX loves Trump. No doubt the only channel she watches.

There's a whole big World out there MAGA morons..............

[Skittles]

28. THANK YOU

only IDIOTS and DICTATORS "love Trump"

[NoMoreRepugs]

4. Hey Pam - just you DipShits love the SlobFather - the majority of the PLANET despises him.

[ananda]

5. True. Magats literally live in cloudcuckooland.

But at least it's dominated by white people.

[mwb970]

6. Yeah, maybe you do.

[JMCKUSICK]

7. Am I alone in feeling that Democratic turnout

Could have been much higher? In the first and sixth in 2024, Dems passed 140k votes in both races.

Wisconsin feels like great turnout, FL just feels like a normal low turnout election.

[Pacifist Patriot]

9. I'm not certain, but if it was normal low turnout and they cut Republican margins by half, that's incredible.

Frustrating, but still good news for trending.

[Grins]

10. "I thought [Musk] was going to be an asset for this race."

Well, you’re the only one.

This - from chair of the Outagamie County Republican Party. That Kool-Aid must be tasty!!!

[BattleRow]

21. Asset ? More ass than asset,IMHO.

[ProfessorGAC]

11. Van Handel Is A Moron

These were STATEWIDE races.
Trump won Wisconsin by 0.8% in November.
So no, people don't love him there. 33% do, and another 16.7% simply thought he was a good idea in November.
The simple math doesn't support her statement but math isn't something that crowd is good at.

[lame54]

14. While Florida digs in

[tavernier]

19. Florida wasn't a statewide race.

Two district races.

Way up there in redneck territory.

[Bengus81]

27. Yep...the Redneck Rivera where Gaetz was from...correct?

[bromeando]

17. Pam Van Handel

Maybe American patriots don't like fascists, ya think

[Kashkakat v.2.0]

18. Their ads and the Elon Musk freak show totally backfired!

The ads were on everywhere, even our local progressive station, and featured Trump himself droning on and calling Crawford a "radical left lunatic" I think those probably did more to get people out to vote for Crawford than any of the Dem ads! Elon Musk was here like forever and that ridiculous 2 million dollar giveaway - I think it was sort of a lightning rod for a lot of us who are just sick to death of these meddling rich a holes and propagandists descending upon our state and inundating us with all this crap all the frikking time. Just leave us alone! The fact that the million went to president of WI young republicans was not lost on anyone - no way could that be a coincidence. WI Progressives/Dems/Independents may be slow to act/ react sometimes but we're not stupid!

[HoldenTheDemocrat]

23. Voter Rejection of Extremism Signals a Shift in the Political Landscape

These election results from Wisconsin and Florida are a clear and powerful message from voters: extremist, anti-democratic agendas are not resonating. The Republican over-performance in Florida, even with Trump's direct involvement, and the decisive Democratic victory in Wisconsin's Supreme Court race demonstrate a significant pushback against the Trump-Musk brand of politics.

The 9-point victory for Judge Susan Crawford in Wisconsin, despite the massive influx of money and attention from Elon Musk, is particularly telling.

According to data from the Wisconsin Elections Commission, voter turnout in this Supreme Court race was exceptionally high, indicating a strong public interest in the outcome. This high turnout disproportionately favored the Democratic candidate. This demonstrates that voters are actively rejecting the influence of outside billionaires and their attempts to manipulate elections.

Furthermore, the narrow margins in the Florida House races, in what are traditionally considered "safe" Republican districts, indicate a growing dissatisfaction with the current direction of the GOP. The fact that Republicans needed to deploy national and state resources, including Trump himself, to secure these seats speaks volumes. Data from the Florida Division of Elections shows that voter registration among independents and Democrats has been steadily increasing in these districts, signaling a potential shift in the electorate.

The Democratic Party platform emphasizes the importance of protecting our democratic institutions, upholding the rule of law, and ensuring that government serves the interests of all people. These election results demonstrate that voters are aligned with these values and are rejecting the Republicans' attempts to undermine them.

It's also important to note that the high turnout in Wisconsin and the increased democratic voter registration in Florida show that when we engage voters and present a strong and clear message, we can win. The voters are sending a clear message: they are tired of the chaos, the extremism, and the attacks on our democracy. We must continue to build on this momentum and ensure that our voices are heard in every election.

[bucolic_frolic]

26. Let's celebrate, we're still having elections

[lefthandedskyhook]

29. Nothing special without the pedigree

THAT is fElon!