The views expressed by the contributors are their own and not the view of the Editorial Review or The Politics Society.
By: Lionel Blake ’21
In the months following the 2016 presidential election, one of the most fascinating elections in recent history, America has been slowly coming to terms with its peculiar selection for the country’s highest office. Considering that this country is home to millions of people with an array of ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, this process has different meanings and effects for each person. Some have the thrilling and temporary opportunity to rejoice in the advancement of their political ideologies, in the form of an underqualified president who readily embodies a regressive juxtaposition to the monumentally historic one before him. Many others are continuously forced to dramatically refit their views of both the modern American citizenry and the justness of the larger governing body.
Those who thought misogyny and xenophobia were obstacles to a successful campaign witnessed Donald Trump win 306 electoral votes after labeling some Mexican immigrants as “rapists” and “killers” and boasting that fame granted one permission to grab women “by the p***y.” People belonging to sexual, ethnic or religious minority groups who were once confident in the progress America had made witnessed over 900 hate crimes within the first ten days following the election, as well as a major white supremacist rally that injured 34 people and killed one in Charlottesville, Virginia within Trump’s first year. Political spectators who believed that logic would ultimately prevail over vanity had to learn to quell their growing anxieties when they watched the president threaten that the United States would “totally destroy” North Korea if threatened.
It has thus far been remarkably difficult to comprehend the possibilities of further injustice. For those belonging to disadvantaged minority groups especially, it can be easy to fall into the belief that the majority of Americans share the same extreme views as our president. Thankfully, the small rounds of recent elections have seemingly demonstrated a small relief from the feelings of hopelessness that were rampant in the aftermath of Trump’s election.
Many of the people who are managing their expectations of this new America are now speaking up for themselves in the most important way: through their votes. Since before Mr. Trump was even elected, politicians, celebrities, and activists alike were speaking out against his oppressive ideals and organizing people to take action against his agenda, and countless rallies and protests have expressed vehement discontent with his vision for the future of our nation. Even though all of these efforts couldn’t stop Mr. Trump from being elected, current voters who are in disagreement with the political climate have begun to use their votes to enact what their voices advocate for.
On September 12, Democrats secured state legislative seats previously held by Republicans in New Hampshire and Oklahoma, bringing the total number of seats flipped to Democrats in contested congressional races this year to six. This development is significant considering Republicans have flipped zero seats in their favor in the same timeframe. While CNN political analyst Chris Cillizza has warned not to take these victories too seriously, given that “Republicans picked up a massive amount of state legislative seats in the Obama era, and were bound to give some of them back eventually,” he acknowledges the possibility that these races are “reveal[ing] that something is happening out in the country that we need to pay attention to.” Combined with Trump’s low approval ratings and the fact that his brand of conservatism is increasingly divergent from what many on the right believe, these races very well could be the first signs of what’s to come for the 2018 midterm elections. Stronger Democratic candidates and a weaker more divided Republican party will only result in more vulnerable Republican seats. According to Gallup, midterm elections are always tough for the president’s party, and are particularly difficult if the president has an approval rating below 50%. Considering that Trump is hovering around 38% as of November 19, things could be looking bleak for the Republican party.
Although it is impossible to flawlessly prognosticate what next year’s midterms will hold, signs of major shifts against the GOP were most apparent in the recent gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia. Even within the unique context of Trump’s America, voters in both of these states overwhelmingly elected Democrats over their Republican rivals. In the race to replace outgoing Chris Christie, Phil Murphy handily defeated his lieutenant governor Kim Guadagno, securing 55.7% of the vote to her 42.2%.
The race in Virginia even more clearly shows that a considerable amount of voters are against the Trump administration, a notion bolstered by the drastic differences between the two competitors. Ralph Northam, a Democrat who Virginia voters trusted on healthcare and social issues, trounced Ed Gillespie, an establishment Republican who embraced the Trump agenda.
As a person who belongs to several minority groups and has been uncomfortably watching the Trump administration, these elections mean more than political commentators or voting reports can convey. In a constantly shifting political landscape, where one cannot be certain what event, circumstance, or demonstration they’ll come across next, it is encouraging to see people who are willing to band together in support of a necessary and urgent dissent. Even though it is much too early to tell, the midterm elections look very promising. They just might be the next stepping stone in a series of improvements that will lead to a particularly huge overturn in 2020.
Lionel Blake is a freshman at New York University. He can be reached at ldb369@nyu.edu.