Let's talk about another landslide loss for Trump and a win in Louisiana for Democrats.... - Belle of the Ranch

Well, howdy there Internet people. It's Belle again. So, today we're going to talk about another landslide win in Louisiana for Democrats.

Well, on Saturday, the Democrats notched another win by swinging a district away from Trump in a big way. But this one does have an asterisk beside it. Okay, so what's the headline event? Louisiana Democrat Chasity Verret Martinez bested her Republican opponent by a whopping 24 percentage points in the 60th Representative District for the State House. She pulled 62% of the vote. Trump won the district by 13 points in 2024. That's a huge swing and it's a landslide victory. It's even bigger than the Texas swing.

So, it definitely continues the momentum and the trend that Democrats have seen over the last year, but this is a little different. Unlike Texas, the district isn't Ruby Red. It's elected Democrats in the past at various levels. In fact, the last person elected to the seat was a Democrat. Republicans will most likely point to that to attempt to downplay the loss. And for once, it's not just cope, there's an element of truth to it. So, there is a little asterisk by this one when you're looking at races with big swings. That being said, there are some things that don't change.

First is that the district voted for Trump overwhelmingly a little more than a year ago. Now, the district swung 37 points regardless of past voting. That's the most recent move in the electorate. While some can easily argue that swings just happen in this district, you can't ignore a swing of that size. Even if you cut it in half, it's an 18point swing. There is no such thing as only an 18 point swing in politics. I mean, honestly, an eight-point swing should trigger some soul searching and recalibration.

Second is that Republicans went all in on this one. They outspent her by massive margins, it looks like, by around 3 to one. Spending triple the amount to have a 37 point swing against her party is devastating.

Third, she ran on public education as Republicans want to shut down the Department of Education and on something Trump keeps suggesting is a hoax. Her campaign focused on affordability because as the old saying goes, “it's the economy, stupid.” The short version here is that her campaign was almost in direct contradiction to MAGA talking points.

Fourth, because of Trump's 2024 win in the district, this was seen as the best chance Republicans had to flip a seat. They lost it by more than anyone imagined. So far, since Trump wound up back in the White House, Democrats have managed to flip at least eight legislative seats. Republicans have flipped well, none.

Anyway, it's just a thought. Y'all have a good day.