Members of the Democratic party are changing their tune after former Democratic congressional contender Jon Ossoff was defeated by Republican Karen Handel in the special election for Georgia’s sixth district Tuesday.
Ossoff’s defeat follows a series of losses in special elections that have taken place since President Donald Trump’s victory in November.
Well, the Special Elections are over and those that want to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN are 5 and O! All the Fake News, all the money spent = 0
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2017
The Democratic Party asserted that special election Democratic candidates like Ossoff would defeat their Republican opponents because voters are rejecting the Trump agenda.
Ossoff’s failure follows Democratic losses in South Carolina, Montana and Kansas. Democrats and others on the left are coming to the realization that 2018 may not be the sunny forecast that they’ve been predicting since the second Trump took office.
California Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu recalibrated his hopes ahead of 2018 on Twitter.
GA & SC races last night show Dems will not flip 80 seats next Nov. But Dems are on track to flip 40 based on surge in Democratic turnout.
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) June 21, 2017
Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton took to Twitter after the Georgia election results, pleading with his fellow Democrats to stop “rehashing” 2016.
#Ossof Race better be a wake up call for Democrats – business as usual isn’t working. Time to stop rehashing 2016 and talk about the future.
— Seth Moulton (@sethmoulton) June 21, 2017
We need a genuinely new message, a serious jobs plan that reaches all Americans, and a bigger tent not a smaller one. Focus on the future.
— Seth Moulton (@sethmoulton) June 21, 2017
Illinois Democratic Rep. Cheri Bustos told the Christian Science Monitor that Democrats need to “stop acting like everyone else is a villain.” Instead of taking the “Never Trump” approach, Bustos is reaching out to Trump supporters.
As Democrats ask what’s next, one congresswoman shows how to win over Trump voters. @RepCheri https://t.co/9SJWN1KtXI pic.twitter.com/E0Rg3fLHz7
— CS Monitor (@csmonitor) June 21, 2017
Texas Democratic Rep. Filemon Vela blasted House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, claiming that her leadership contributed to Ossoff’s loss.
What a quote from Filemon Velahttps://t.co/OMqquhsaZ3 pic.twitter.com/54VOCl1JWa
— Sarah Ferris (@sarahnferris) June 21, 2017
New York Democratic Rep. Kathleen Rice shared Vila’s feelings, telling CNN’s Deirdre Walsh that it’s time for Pelosi and the rest of the Democratic leadership team to go.
“We need leadership change. It’s time for Nancy Pelosi to go, and the entire leadership team,” Dem Rep Kathleen Rice tells @deirdrewalshcnn
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) June 21, 2017
“We’ve been hyper-confused for the past five years,” Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said on MSNBC’s Morning Joe Wednesday. “We need to be hyper-focused on this issue of wage growth and job growth, I think Democrats are scared of this message because it’s what Republicans have been talking about,”
Murphy admitted that Democrats have been distracted by the investigation of ties between the Russian government and Trump campaign officials. Murphy said that Democrats need to focus on issues that have a concrete impact on voters’ lives.
It’s not just members of Congress that are lashing out after Tuesday night’s fallout. Former Obama Adviser Dan Pfeiffer doubled down on the anti-Trump strategy while admitting that it’ll be quite the uphill battle.
To take back the House, we need lean GOP voters who disapprove of Trump to vote for a Dem. This is hard, but very doable over 18 months
— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) June 21, 2017
This is exactly right https://t.co/1uU5f6yU7Z
— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) June 21, 2017
Jason Kander, a former Democratic Senate candidate and president of Let America Vote, claimed that Republicans gained nothing Tuesday night. Kander actually asserted that Republicans lost Tuesday.
Republicans gained literally nothing in #GA06 election. They are losing tons of voters in every special election and calling them wins. Sad!
— Jason Kander (@JasonKander) June 21, 2017
Jon Cooper, chairman of the Democratic Coalition, gave his best efforts at turning Tuesday’s loss into a victory for Democrats.
Despite gerrymandering & voter suppression,@Ossoff came within 4 pts of winning #GA06,where Republicans regularly won by 20+ pts for decades
— Jon Cooper (@joncoopertweets) June 21, 2017
Alex Roarty, who covers Democrats for Mcclatchy D.C., offered some analysis.
Last night was a reminder that even with things going right for Democrats, winning a House majority is gonna be hard https://t.co/LhjlLTIhS5
— Alex Roarty (@Alex_Roarty) June 21, 2017
Democratic political operative turned journalist Jamal Simmons said that he hoped Democrats are learning that running as an “Anti-Trump”candidate is not enough.
I hope Dems listen to one clear message from 2016 and Ossoff. Anti-Trump is not enough. We need a plan to change the game for working ppl.
— Jamal Simmons (@JamalSimmons) June 21, 2017
FiveThirtyEight’s Nate Silver made the following observation.
Half the problem is that Dems believe in the same stupid narratives that the media does. R’s don’t give a shit and complete everywhere.
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) June 21, 2017
Jennifer Duplessie contributed to this report
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