Which State was most disappointing for Dems in 2020?

[Motorcity]

In order

1. North Carolina: Had Biden won, I think it would have started a trend of voting blue. But if we can't win it when we win nationally by 4.5, than I don't see hope for a while. And we lost a senate seat, but Georgia made up for it

2. Maine: Same as above for the senate

3. Texas: At some point, the Mid West will be lost. We need Texas to win the presidency. I did not expect to carry Texas but I hoped for 48-49%. That would allow us momentum to win later.

4. Florida: Florida was not needed to win, but Trump won by 3 points. So now Democrats need to win nationally by 10 points, which isn't going to happen

5. Arizona: Biden had a solid and stable lead in AZ most of the election. Many assumed it was now a blue state, which could give us a cushin for future elections. Its still a toss up

6. WI/MI/PA: Biden barerly improved over Hillary. It was enough but it didn't build back the blue wall. 2020 showed these states are lost long term.

[Motorcity]

Almost every competitive state was a disappointment except for Georgia. Colorado and Minnesota went smoothly and New Hampshire was great for Biden but down-ballot Democrats suffered there too. Texas is definitely the biggest disappointment, but Democrats did embarrassingly in almost all red states, with the exception of some improvements in Nebraska even though Eastman threw away the 2nd district House seat.

The lesson from 2020 is that Democrats, especially in Congress, have lost touch with the voters of most of this country. Ironically, the Republicans should learn a similar lesson as this election should've been an easy clean-sweep for them, but their current advantages in the Senate and Electoral College make it less imperative for them to realize it.

Can't blame her considering the antics of Ashford.

Eastman was endorsed by Biden, Harris, Bob Kerrey, Obama, and about every other prominent Democrat, but I guess the Ashfords endorsing her opponent is what caused her to underperform Biden by several points.

I don't have anything against Kara Eastman. She seems like a nice person and I'm sure she would've won if she were running in a different competitive district in perhaps California, but part of winning is actually appealing to people in the district you're trying to win. She made the mistake that most progressives make, which is assuming that everyone already agreed with her on all the issues. Showing up in Nebraska, even its most liberal district, and broadcasting a bunch of Justice Dem talking points was always a losing strategy. Do I wish Ashford had endorsed Eastman? Yes, just like I wish all those prominent pillars of society in Maine had endorsed Gideon instead of Collins, but it's on the candidate running to actually earn those endorsements. Both parties need to wake up and realize why they're losing so much support from former voters and office-holders alike and stop blaming everyone else for their losses.

So are you saying that Eastman should have followed Ammar Campa-Najjar’s path in terms of shifting positions on the issues when campaigning the second time around? If she actually did that, I would have despised her just like I despised Campa-Najjar in his second run (and he actually lost ground in his second run compared to his first run).

I'm saying that if she wanted to win she should've campaigned on issues that would appeal to Omaha and Sarpy County voters rather than do the Justice Dems thing and appeal to a national progressive audience. I know a handful of the Biden voters that declined to vote for Eastman, and it was based almost universally on the perception that the Democratic House of Representatives is getting way too out-there for their comfort. It isn't how I would've voted because I'd prefer a progressive to Don Bacon, and like I said I don't think Eastman is unreasonable on most policies, but part of being a successful politician is knowing your voters. This skill is what has allowed people like Susan Collins and Joe Manchin to survive as long as they have. I have no love for moderate heroes, but sometimes you have to embrace that image to win, and progressives have flown way too close to the sun and have alienated a lot of Democratic voters.

I strongly agree with this post

Sure, I'm a progressive who wants progressive policies. But I'd rather have a senate majority because of Joe Manchin who votes with Democrats 70% of the time vs being in a minority while voting rights and the welfare net is destroyed.