There were two House special elections yesterday, and for Republicans, it was nothing short of a blowout.
As Paul Bedard reports:
The 14-point win by Tom Tiffany in Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District and 12-point lead by Republican Mike Garcia in the Los Angeles area’s 25th Congressional District also suggest that the 2018 GOP hangover that made Rep. Nancy Pelosi speaker might be over.
While Tiffany was running in a conservative district, Garcia was running in one that Hillary Clinton had won over Donald Trump by 6.7 points in 2016. The seat was previously held by “throuple” Representative Kate Hill.
Garcia’s race only hasn’t been called because mail-in ballots haven’t been counted yet, which will take days. However, it’s nearly a guarantee that he’ll win unless his opponent Christy Smith garners 57% of the vote in the remaining ballots. The National Republican Congressional Committee has called on Smith to concede the race.
While Smith has yet to concede the race, and Garcia hasn’t declared victory, President Trump called it himself and tweeted out his congratulations to Garcia.
Meanwhile, the seat’s former holder hasn’t tweeted anything about the election since offering her “good luck” to Smith.
It’s simple. Just pretty much always do the opposite of what he says.
Good luck today @ChristyforCA25. Thank you to all who are working so hard to protect this seat. I know it’s been a tough, emotional process for many, and I’m just grateful. #vote #ca25 https://t.co/K2exz82vZO
— Katie Hill (@KatieHill4CA) May 12, 2020
Like Hill, I’m also grateful – that she’s managed to turn her own seat Red.
As Bedard notes, a A New York Times reporter blogging on the race previously said that “There is no doubt that a win for Republicans in a state that is overwhelmingly controlled by Democrats would be remarkable.”
Remarkable indeed. Now, if only the rest of the country votes the same way in November…
