Democrats need to show they can be trusted with power

“Social media does not pick a candidate. People on Social Security pick a candidate,” said Eric Adams, who is likely to be the next mayor of New York City after taking a commanding lead in this week’s Democratic primary. Adams was making a point that Democrats should take seriously. The party’s progressive wing makes noise and gets attention, but voters prefer pragmatists to ideologues. As big cities see a resurgence in violent crime — homicides were up more than 30 percent last year and another 24 percent so far this year — and as places struggle to revive growth and employment, the focus on governance will only heighten.

Today, the Democratic Party has total control of just 18 state legislatures, compared with 30 for Republicans. Democrats spent tens of millions of dollars to flip the legislatures in Arizona, North Carolina, Florida and Texas. They failed everywhere, and they even managed to lose control of New Hampshire’s legislature. Since states oversee redistricting and voting laws, the 2022 midterms look very tough for the Democrats.

To read the full article, please click here.