As the presidential election remains too close to call, one of the surprising outcomes of the 2020 election is how well down-ballot Republican candidates performed.
During an appearance on MSNBC, former Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), who lost her Senate seat in 2018, suggested the party has adopted stances on social issues that were too liberal for many voters across the country.
“The Republican party, I think very adroitly, adopted cultural issues as part of their main theme,” she said.
She continued, “Whether you are talking guns or issues surrounding the right to abortion in this country or things like gay marriage and the right for ‘transexuals’ and other people who we as a party ‘look after’ and make sure they are treated fairly.”
“As we circled the issues, we left voters behind, and Republicans dove in with a vengeance and grabbed those voters,” she added.
Instead, McCaskill said the Democrats should focus on the “meat and potato” issues and stop acting “like we’re smarter than everyone else.”
However, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) did not appreciate McCaskill’s comments. In a tweet, she asked, “Why do we listen to people who lost elections as if they are experts in winning elections?”
Why do we listen to people who lost elections as if they are experts in winning elections?
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 5, 2020
McCaskill tried her approach. She ran as a caravan-hysteria Dem& lost while grassroots organizers won progressive measures in MO. Her language here shows how she took her base for granted. https://t.co/ZnTXI59MW9
“McCaskill tried her approach. She ran as a caravan-hysteria Dem [and] lost while grassroots organizers won progressive measures in MO. Her language here shows how she took her base for granted,” Ocasio-Cortez added.Â
Before the election, the non-partisan Cook Political Report predicted Democrats would pick up between 10 and 15 seats in the House and secure an even larger majority in that chamber.
Additionally, it rated seven Republican-held Senate seats as “toss-ups,” and Democrats felt good about their chances of taking control of that chamber. But, by Wednesday, their chances for taking control diminished as Republicans in toss-up states such as Maine, Montana, and South Carolina held on to their seats.
Additionally, Republicans were leading in North Carolina, Georgia, and Alaska. However, those elections have yet to be called, as of Thursday afternoon.
In the House, Republicans are now projected to hold over 200 seats.
