Stymied Democrats could find more success through moderation
MINOT, N.D. — As an article of faith, our liberal friends and neighbors believe that the American political system is rigged in favor of Republicans.
Democratic presidential candidates consistently win the national popular vote, yet thanks to the Electoral College, we still elect Republicans to the White House with some regularity. In 2018, Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate, collectively, received 18 million more votes than their Republican opponents, and yet they still lost seats in that election.
“In 2020, Democrats were only about 90,000 votes away — less than a one-point across-the-board shift for president and Senate, and about a two-point shift in the House — from controlling literally none of the three levers,” Washington Post columnist Aaron Rupar notes.
To put it succinctly, for Democrats to control the “three levels” of national government — the House, the Senate, and the White House — they have to win significantly more votes than Republicans do.
Democrats may have more voters, but Republicans have more jurisdictions.
