Digesting Tuesday’s returns, let me again emphasize that Democratic and progressive positions triumphed in ballot measures throughout the country.
Strong reproductive rights (abortion protection) prevailed in Arizona (61%), Colorado (62%), Maryland (75%), Missouri (52%), Montana (58%), Nevada (64%), and New York (62%). A majority in Florida (57%) supported abortion rights, but this failed to reach the 60% threshold.
Marriage equality was added to state constitutions in California (61%), Colorado (64%), and Hawaii (52%).
Minimum wage increases to 15% won in Alaska (57%) and Missouri (58%). Both measures also mandated paid sick leave.
Voters in Denver extended collective bargaining rights to 7,000 municipal workers. Voters in New Orleans passed a workers’ bill of rights. Oregon passed a measure protecting cannabis workers’ right to unionize.
Voters rejected private school vouchers in Colorado (52%), Kentucky (65% -- and it lost in all 120 counties), and Nebraska (57%).
No-excuse absentee voting won in Connecticut (58%).
A majority (56%) voted for marijuana legalization in Florida, but this failed to reach the 60% threshold.
Inflation and economic worries seem to have inflicted most of the damage on Democrats (unfairly IMO), but Republicans will only pick up a few seats in the House, and the Senate looks to be 53-47 GOP which could have been a lot worse.
Evidence also points to overwhelming sexism in Kamala’s loss, especially among Hispanic, younger, and rural men. Further, I think the “economic excuse” for voting Trump often disguised core racism.
Regardless, an unchecked Trump and cultish Republicans (we’ll see if they hold to filibuster rules as Mitch McConnel claims) present existential dangers to environmental, consumer, and public health protections, especially if Project 2025 guts federal agencies. Trump will certainly favor world tyrants at the expense of our longtime allies and our own vital, long-term interests.
Those struggling to make ends meet and who voted for Trump have cut their own throats. His tariffs, if implemented, will add to inflation. His tax cuts, if implemented, will be another transfer of wealth from the working class to the wealthy. His promised “overhaul” of Obamacare, if implemented, will allow junk insurance plans to flood the market and weaken Medicare and Medicaid – to the benefit of large insurance carriers and Big Pharma. We will all have far fewer consumer protections. Mass shootings will continue because his party refuses to take gun violence seriously. Weather events will flood and burn more land and acidify more water because his party refuses to acknowledge man-made climate change. If the six SCOTUS Republicans buy more into MAGA's fascistic core, hard-won rights may fall to the destructive force of Christian nationalism.
This is what Trump voters have given themselves -- and, unfortunately, us. They own it.