Republican Pick-Up in Pennsylvania State House

[rbt48]

A 26-year old Republican, Martina White, won a previously Democratic State House seat in northeast Philadelphia yesterday.
http://www.politicspa.com/breaking-hd-170-white-wins-special-election/64709/

By my count, the PA State House line-up is now 120R, 83D.

[RFayette]

I thought the city of Philadelphia was monolithically Democratic.........is Northeast Philly similar to Staten Island (suburbanish)?

[ElectionsGuy]

I thought the city of Philadelphia was monolithically Democratic.........is Northeast Philly similar to Staten Island (suburbanish)?

To a lesser extent yes. The eastern areas of Philadelphia probably lean Obama but they're much whiter and probably have more in common with Bucks or Montgomery County than the city itself. This is just another example of how Democrats have been sucking at winning elections in state legislatures across the country. If they couldn't win a seat like this than the situation is terrible. 

[Ebsy]

Debbie Wasserman Schultz's tenure at the DNC has been an unmitigated disaster as far as winning state house and state senate seats goes. Bring back Howard Dean!

[publicunofficial]

From what I hear, there were a lot of protest votes for the Republican as the Philly Dem machine was very transparent in choosing the Dem candidate.

[Zioneer]

Debbie Wasserman Schultz's tenure at the DNC has been an unmitigated disaster as far as winning state house and state senate seats goes. Bring back Howard Dean!

Basically, this.

[Flake]

Debbie Wasserman Schultz's tenure at the DNC has been an unmitigated disaster as far as winning state house and state senate seats goes. Bring back Howard Dean!

Basically, this.

[Beet]

Debbie Wasserman Schultz's tenure at the DNC has been an unmitigated disaster as far as winning state house and state senate seats goes. Bring back Howard Dean!

Basically, this.

Lol how everyone forgets about Tim Kaine.

[Ebsy]

Tim Kaine might not have been great, but I don't think anyone could have averted the shellacking in 2010 after the ACA was passed. And if you remember, we managed to save Senate seats in Nevada and Colorado, as well as many governorships in blue states. The further degradation in position since then is totally unacceptable. Someone has to pay for the utter disaster in 2014, and it should be DWS.

[Beet]

Tim Kaine might not have been great, but I don't think anyone could have averted the shellacking in 2010 after the ACA was passed. And if you remember, we managed to save Senate seats in Nevada and Colorado, as well as many governorships in blue states. The further degradation in position since then is totally unacceptable. Someone has to pay for the utter disaster in 2014, and it should be DWS.

Kaine lost like 400 state legislative seats. DWS only lost like 100. We only managed to save Senate seats because the GOP nominated crazy tea party candidates. That was all luck, no credit to Kaine. DWS on the other hand presided over a successful presidential campaign cycle. In 2014, we were running with Obama with a 41% approval rating, plus the six year itch, plus the very high base in the Senate with the class of 2008 up for re-election.

[Beet]

In any case, Howard Dean said stuff like "we gotta win guys with Confederate flags on their pickup trucks", but the true leftists today castigate them as gap-toothed racist hicks. There's a lot of selective nostalgia going on for the Dean era. He elected blue dogs, not Bernie Sanderses.

[Maxwell]

Debbie Wasserman Schultz's tenure at the DNC has been an unmitigated disaster as far as winning state house and state senate seats goes. Bring back Howard Dean!

Basically, this.

Lol how everyone forgets about Tim Kaine.

Tim Kaine was an unmitigated disaster as DNC head, correct! Probably worse than DWS. But alas, DWS seems to be an easier target her because she's not as mushy and doesn't have The People's Eyebrow (TM)

[Zioneer]

In any case, Howard Dean said stuff like "we gotta win guys with Confederate flags on their pickup trucks", but the true leftists today castigate them as gap-toothed racist hicks. There's a lot of selective nostalgia going on for the Dean era. He elected blue dogs, not Bernie Sanderses.

Meh, I'm lefty, but I'm also a pragmatist. If we want to win and have some semblance of progressive policies pass, we need progressives in safe Dem seats, and Blue Dogs to win GOP seats.

Now the question I'm really concerned about is what lefty policies can the Blue Dogs present as populist and desirable to the moderate/light GOP voter?

[publicunofficial]

In any case, Howard Dean said stuff like "we gotta win guys with Confederate flags on their pickup trucks", but the true leftists today castigate them as gap-toothed racist hicks. There's a lot of selective nostalgia going on for the Dean era. He elected blue dogs, not Bernie Sanderses.

I'lll take Dean electing Blue Dogs over DWS electing nobody.

[IceSpear]

Congrats Phil (how am I the first person to post this?)

[smoltchanov]

In any case, Howard Dean said stuff like "we gotta win guys with Confederate flags on their pickup trucks", but the true leftists today castigate them as gap-toothed racist hicks. There's a lot of selective nostalgia going on for the Dean era. He elected blue dogs, not Bernie Sanderses.

I'lll take Dean electing Blue Dogs over DWS electing nobody.

Me too. I would even go further and readily accept Blue Dog majority in House in place of present Republican majority... Especially - taking into account that "progressive majority" is out of question for many years to come, and i am not that young to wait 30 years.

[publicunofficial]

Congrats Phil (how am I the first person to post this?)

Because that's not how the joke works.

[bgwah]

You mean it isn't our 26 year old NE Philly Republican?

[bobloblaw]

Another Obama success story.

[smoltchanov]

Another Obama success story.

Don't rejoice too early - she ran as pro-labor moderate. The type of republican you probably hate more then left-wing Democrats.

[BigSkyBob]

In any case, Howard Dean said stuff like "we gotta win guys with Confederate flags on their pickup trucks", but the true leftists today castigate them as gap-toothed racist hicks. There's a lot of selective nostalgia going on for the Dean era. He elected blue dogs, not Bernie Sanderses.

I'lll take Dean electing Blue Dogs over DWS electing nobody.

Me too. I would even go further and readily accept Blue Dog majority in House in place of present Republican majority... Especially - taking into account that "progressive majority" is out of question for many years to come, and i am not that young to wait 30 years.

After all your protestations that you were a "moderate" who like "moderates [of both parties]" wouldn't the consistent application of your own words be that in thirty years you would trying to rally Republicans to support "blue dog Democrats" to keep "progressives" out of power?

[smoltchanov]

In any case, Howard Dean said stuff like "we gotta win guys with Confederate flags on their pickup trucks", but the true leftists today castigate them as gap-toothed racist hicks. There's a lot of selective nostalgia going on for the Dean era. He elected blue dogs, not Bernie Sanderses.

I'lll take Dean electing Blue Dogs over DWS electing nobody.

Me too. I would even go further and readily accept Blue Dog majority in House in place of present Republican majority... Especially - taking into account that "progressive majority" is out of question for many years to come, and i am not that young to wait 30 years.

After all your protestations that you were a "moderate" who like "moderates [of both parties]" wouldn't the consistent application of your own words be that in thirty years you would trying to rally Republicans to support "blue dog Democrats" to keep "progressives" out of power?

Of course.

[bobloblaw]

Another Obama success story.

Don't rejoice too early - she ran as pro-labor moderate. The type of republican you probably hate more then left-wing Democrats.

Those type of GOPers are fine so long as they dont hold the balance of power.

[smoltchanov]

Another Obama success story.

Don't rejoice too early - she ran as pro-labor moderate. The type of republican you probably hate more then left-wing Democrats.

Those type of GOPers are fine so long as they dont hold the balance of power.

A small piece of sanity...

[DS0816]

The Republicans got rid of then-RNC chair Michael Steele after the party's success in 2010, which including having flipped six Democratic-held U.S. Senate seats and having won a majority-control pickup of the U.S. House of Representatives.

That alone tells me that it doesn't matter who the chairman is with a major political party.