Election 2019: everything means squat and everything at the same time.

The Democrats in “blue state” and the Republicans in “red state” have a good tendency to run as though it is all against Trump, where the Democrats in “red state” and the Democrats in “blue state” … don’t.  So, I guess, it appears in Kentucky… Beshear beat Trump on one level — as the Republican was running by clinging to Trump, but not so as the Democrat did so by not running against Trump… because, after all, the Republican incumbent was really unpopular and only came close to winning because of partisan tabs and by clinging closely to Trump.
NOW it’s safe for the likes of Bernie Sanders (oddly enough, not a Democrat) to weigh in.

In Mississippi, the Democrat lost to the Republican… the “I drive a pick up truck and own a gun” shtick not able to overcome the partisan advantage.  I’m looking forward to whoever replaces Blumenauer when he retires to win with the same “pick up truck and gun” ads.  (Apparently not enough to win in Mississippi?)
Next up, the exciting Louisiana race where a rare anti-abortion Democratic incumbent — and, I suppose, good on him — this isn’t a national electorate, so the terms of debate are different, aren’t they? — will see if he can withstand some Republican running as though he were Trump.

I suppose the hardening of partisan identifications everyone’s talking about doesn’t quite come to pass… “Is the Kentucky governor’s race a forecast of 2020’s race against McConnell”?  Only if McConnell became somehow more distanced from Trump and the Democrat more distanced from the Democratic party, I guess.

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