Jake Tapper Amazed How Democrats Convinced Voters Shutdown Was GOP’s Fault

CNN host Jake Tapper expressed surprise Tuesday that Democrats were able to convince voters that Republicans were responsible for the government shutdown, even as Democrats repeatedly blocked efforts to pass a continuing resolution.

Former Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger defeated Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle Sears in Virginia’s gubernatorial election. Tapper and fellow CNN hosts Dana Bash and Kasie Hunt discussed exit poll data from that race showing that 61% of federal government workers voted for Spanberger, even as Tapper admitted that Democrats were refusing to vote to open the government during “Election Night in America.”

“61% of federal workers say they are voting for Spanberger. As John was saying, it’s what, like 150,000 federal workers in Virginia. But we’re in the middle of a shutdown and people have not gotten paychecks in a month and they’re going to vote,” Bash said. “What do you expect them to be doing? I talked earlier to a Republican who has done a ton of work for decades in Virginia who said, you cannot express in a more profound way how much shutdowns hurt Republicans. No matter what happens, hurt Republicans when Virginians go to vote during a shutdown, it’s just the historical trend.”

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After Hunt implied that Sears was not the “strongest candidate,” Tapper turned his attention to the messaging of Democrats on the shutdown