(Chuck Muth) – Two very interesting observations came to light yesterday following Donald Trump’s historic comeback…
First, as painful as losing to Biden was in 2020, it may have been a blessing in disguise, as explained by Rogan O’Handley…
“If Trump had won in 2020, he would’ve had a Democrat House and Senate. More impeachments, no Senate confirmations, no bills passed, and possibly the end of the MAGA movement as an effective political force.
“But now? He has the House, Senate, Supreme Court, a popular vote mandate, and an entire country that wants to clean up our elections, close our borders, deport illegals, and hold corrupt politicians accountable.”
In addition, Trump now won’t have to worry about the “Never Trumpers” who “fragged” him during his first term, including Mitch McConnell, Mitt Romney, John McCain, Jeff Flake, Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger.
Now, FOR ONCE, can Republicans not blow an opportunity to blow an opportunity?
Secondly, I’m no conspiracy theorist or election denier, but there’s no denying something is terribly f-ed up when you consider these popular vote totals over the last 20 years…
- 2004 John Kerry: 59 million
- 2008 Barack Obama: 69 million
- 2012 Barack Obama: 66 million
- 2016 Hillary Clinton: 66 million
- 2020 Joe Biden: 81 million (???)
- 2024 Kamala Harris: ~67 million
While I have agreed that the 2020 election was “rigged” – primarily by the media, Big Tech and Democrats’ incessant impeachments/investigations – the numbers above indicate Trump may have been right in claiming it had been “stolen” through election shenanigans.
Once he gets back in the Oval Office, maybe we’ll finally get some answers.
NEVADA NEWS & VIEWS
With 95% of the vote in and counted – and after the latest batch of some 55,000+ mail-in ballots in Clark County were added yesterday – here’s where Republicans stand on some close and important races…
Republican Sam Brown lost to Democrat Sen. Jacky Rosen. I’d hoped for a miracle, but this is really no surprise. He ran a terrible campaign. His consultants should be sued for malpractice.
Democrat Reps. Dina Titus (CD1) and Steven Horsford (CD4) handily won re-election.
In CD3, you can also stick a fork in Republican Drew Johnson; he’s done.
Johnson should have run against Assemblyman Steve Yeager – as I repeatedly advised him two years ago – instead. He’d have won that seat going away. But he was hellbent on going to Washington, DC, not “Podunk,” Carson City. Selfish ego.
Wouldn’t surprise me if the Tennessee transplant follows the shooting-star example of failed congressional candidate Sam Peters from 2022 and soon leaves Nevada for greener pastures.
Meanwhile, in state legislative races…
In the crucial State Senate District 11 race – which will determine if Democrats gain a super-majority – Republican Lori Rogich’s lead has been cut to 1,162 votes over incumbent Democrat and social justice warrior Dallas Harris.
Theoretically, Harris could still make up the difference, but the trends aren’t there. Still, it’s nail-biter close.
In Assembly District 5, Republican Kelly Quinn now trails by 1,052. Doesn’t look good.
In Assembly District 9, Republican Erica Neely now trails Democrat Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager by 683 votes. Still a LOT closer than anyone expected, but “Donut Boy” is likely to survive.
In Assembly District 12, Republican Nan Roecker’s Election Day lead has flipped. Democrat incumbent Max Carter now leads by 117 votes. Roecker still has a shot if there are enough GOP ballots to be “cured” before next Tuesday’s deadline.
In Assembly District 21, Republican April Arndt now trails incumbent Democrat Elaine Marzola by 297 votes.
In Assembly District 29, Republican Annette Dawson Owens now trails Democrat Joe Dalia by 1,044 votes.
In Assembly District 35, Republican Rebecca Edgeworth continues to lead the Democrat by 3,350 votes. Crucial race. If Edgeworth holds on – and she should – that will get Republicans out of their super-minority and protect Gov. Lombardo’s vetoes.
In Assembly District 37, Republican David Brog now trails scandal-plagued incumbent Democrat Shea Backus by 878 votes.
How?
This seat was won by conservative Republican – and now State Controller – Andy Matthews in the last presidential election, when Trump lost by 33,000 votes. This seat was ripe for the pickin’.
It’s not because of lack of money. Brog reported raising a healthy $282,466 through the end of September. And that doesn’t include all the third-party independent expenditures that went to him.
And it’s certainly not due to “election fraud.” Ugh.
In Assembly District 41, Republican Rafael Arroyo now trails incumbent Assembly Majority Leader Sandra Jauregui by 169 votes. Ballot “curing” could swing this seat back in the GOP’s corner, but it’s not looking good.
And in Assembly District 25 – the only competitive race in Washoe County – the Secretary of State’s website reports Diana Sande trailing Democrat incumbent Selena Larue Hatch by 1,692 votes.
Overall, pretty darned bleak. So many of these GOP candidates SHOULD have won, especially since Donald Trump was NOT a drag on races down ballot. He over-performed in Nevada compared to 2020.
Heck, at last count Trump had outpulled Sam Brown by 67,000+ votes!
As I teach at Campaign Boot Camp, it’s not the best candidate who wins, but the best campaign. Republicans need to take a serious look at what went wrong in these legislative races and fix it before 2026 rolls around.
Republicans CAN’T keep running the same kinds of campaigns in these down-ballot races and expect a different result. These races were ALL winnable. We MUST stop blowing opportunities.
P.S. Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar said today that he’s “frustrated” with the delays in reporting election results. But, um, he’s Nevada’s chief elections officer. So would someone please hand him a mirror.
X MARKS THE SPOT
- From the barracks at the Virginia Military Institute this morning when it was announced that Donald Trump was re-elected. X
- NFL star Nick Bosa is refusing to apologize for wearing a MAGA hat on the field. X
- A 97% Latino district in Texas voted 75% for Donald Trump. Why? Let’s check in on The View. X
- Massachusetts Governor says her state won’t assist with deportations if the Trump admin asks. X
- AI generated, but still fun to watch. X
- Another hilarious “Dank Brandon” video. X
- Can’t believe this guy didn’t win over black male voters. X
- Robert De Niro gets the news that Donald Trump is the 47th President of the United States. X
- This “grieving wall” went up where students expressed their feelings of sadness and anger over the election results. X
- Bawling liberal has insane meltdown over Trump. Serious TDS. X
- This child voted. Think about that for a second. Hope the wall’s OK! X
- College girls crack their TV to protest the election results. X
- They’re resorting to biting and barking now over Trump’s win. X
- White Dude for Harris has meltdown over Trump W! X
- Love thy neighbor. More liberal tears. X
- This might be the funniest one yet. X
- This Kamala voter says he’s going to be “leaving the U.S. because of Trump’s election. Guess where he’s moving to?!! X
- “Shelley Luther, former Dallas salon owner jailed during COVID-19, wins in TX House Dist. 62.” X
- A Day Without Steve Inman is a Day Without Sunshine. X
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
- “I dare you to try to continue your lawfare against President Trump. Listen here, sweetheart, we’re not messing around this time and we will put your fat ass in prison for conspiracy against rights.” – Trump lawyer Mike Davis issuing a warning to New York Attorney General Letitia James
- “Elon (Musk) is such a dumbass. He spent $44 billion on Twitter and all he got was control of all 3 branches of the federal government.” – @WholeMarsBlog
- “NOTHING could be funnier than Democrats calling Trump racist for 10 years and losing because black men voted for him. HILARIOUS.” – Jimmy Failla
- “(Kamala) Harris underperformed with Latino voters. NBC News reported that (Donald) Trump won 45 percent of the Latino vote surge over 2020.” – Columnist Debra Saunders
- “America’s largest majority (Latinos) has run off the liberal hacienda. And, on their way out, they burned it to the ground.” – Columnist Ruben Navarrette
- “It’s over, my wire service friends. Even the Culinary Union can’t save (Kamala) Harris, and the union’s efforts probably won’t save Jacky Rosen, either.” – Liberal blubber-blogger Jon Ralston, 11/6/24
- “Rosen keeps Nevada Senate seat in Democratic hands.” – The Hill, 11/7/24
- “I was wrong.” – Liberal blubber-blogger Jon Ralston, 11/7/24
- “I don’t understand much about politics…” – Liberal blubber-blogger Jon Ralston, 1/2/20
LAUGHTER IS STILL THE BEST MEDICINE
Mr. Muth is president of Citizen Outreach, publisher of Nevada News & Views, and founder of CampaignDoctor.com. You can sign up for his conservative, Nevada-focused e-newsletter at MuthsTruths.com. His views are his own.
