The extremely important mid-term election is on November 3, just two weeks from today (10/20). This is a far more important election than most nationwide elections that doesn’t include voting for a President. In 2024, the nation inexplicably elected a Republican POTUS with a majority of the Senate and House. Now is the time to turn the Senate and House back to normality.
The Precarious Senate Races
The Democrats need to flip only four seats
to gain the majority in the Senate. That is certainly within the range of
possibility. I have written before about two of the six Democrats most likely
to flip a Senate seat: Adam Hamilton in neighboring Kansas and James Talarico in
Texas.
Sherrod Brown, who served as a Senator
from Ohio from 2007 to 2025, has a good chance of being elected to that post
again. He has a small lead in most of the polls at this point. In addition, Roy
Cooper is running for the open Senate seat in North Carolina, and he has a
sizeable lead in the polls, and Mary Peltola is leading in the polls for
Alaska’s Senator.
While it is more doubtful, Josh Turek has
a shot at being elected in the red state of neighboring Iowa. He was born with
spina bifida, a congenital condition affecting the spine and mobility. He
became a world‑class wheelchair basketball player and won a gold medal as a
member of USA’s wheelchair basketball team in the 2016 Paralympics.
So, while these are all close races, it
seems entirely feasible that voters might elect at least four (or more!) of
these six candidates. That depends partly on Democrats voting in large numbers.
Since there is such a strong possibility of their winning the House, many
Democrats may think it is not necessary for them to vote.
But in the states just mentioned, it is
extremely important for Democrats to vote—and I urge you Thinking Friends in
Kansas, Texas, North Carolina, and Iowa to do so. (I can’t think of any TFs in
Alaska or Ohio, and if I have forgotten someone in those states, I apologize
and ask you to refresh my memory.)
What about the House Races?
In some states, such as Missouri, the
election outcome is so predictable that there seems to be little use to vote. I
am in the sixth district, which voted for Trump by 80% three times in a row.
There is no possibility that a Democrat is going to be elected as the
Representative from that district, and there is no senatorial election. So why
vote?
Copilot tells me that in the upcoming
election, 390–405 seats are effectively safe for one party or the other. That
means that only 30–45 seats are meaningfully competitive. Voting doesn’t mean
much for those of us who don’t live in that small number of competitive
districts. But voting anyway may eventually lead to a more purple district.
Vote for the Candidate or the Party?
I have a good friend who has made it
clear on Facebook posts that he votes for the best candidate, not for a
political party. Similarly, another Facebook friend recently wrote, “I
vote, quite faithfully actually. But don’t count on me to be faithful to any
one political party! What I care about are policies, ethics, and relational
practices.” And a person I don’t know posted, “I choose the side that feeds the
hungry, shelters the homeless, educates the forgotten, and treats every person
with dignity.”
That is quite
different from my position, which is “vote Blue, no matter who.” So, let’s
consider this matter a bit further. Why wouldn’t we want to vote for the best
candidate rather than for one who and a D or a R after his name?
In the past I
have been a supporter of some Republicans, especially of Mark Hatfield (Senator
from Oregon from 1976~95) and John Danforth (Missouri Senator from 1976~95). I’ve
also held positive opinions of Margaret Chase Smith (Maine Senator, 1949~73)
and of Ben Sasse (Nebraska Senator, 2015~23).
But now, with
maybe a couple of exceptions, Republicans seeking to become a U.S. Senator or
Representative are so under the control of the POTUS, it is hard to see why
anyone concerned about the good of the country, and especially about the
underprivileged, would think voting for a GOP candidate is the right choice.
So, the midterm elections begin today, and I encourage all of you U.S. citizens to be sure to vote—and to vote conscientiously.
While there may be limited choices at the national level, state and local elections can be as, or even more, important than the elections for national office. Most of our routine contacts with government are at the state and local level, so these elections are important. Unfortunately, we often lack good information about state and local candidates since the candidates for national attention garner most of the media attention. Citizens should learn what they can about all the candidates and then vote--and vote wisely!
ReplyDeleteI am an overseas voter with a voting address in Independence. I registered through the US Vote Foundation. My wife got her voting papers but I did not so I contacted the office in Independence and they emailed back to say they had not acted on the registration, but I was registered. They apologised and sent me ballot papers. I sent my postal ballot today. I feel it is a sacred duty to vote even if my candidate does not have a realistic chance of winning.
ReplyDeleteA Thinking Friend who is a retired professor in a Texas college and now lives in eastern Tennessee wrote, "I voted in the early voting. I hope to have my meager influence toward a purpling you mentioned. Don’t know why, but my oh my how the lies do fly against Democrats in this red state."
ReplyDeleteMy Thinking Friend (who was also my boyhood friend) who lives in the St. Louis metropolitan area sent the following comment by text: "I have always voted a split ticket before, but I cannot bring myself to vote for a Republican now. I can only hope that Democrats regain power in both houses and bring impeachment of Trump."
ReplyDelete