Why does it seem like there are so many more D->R state and local switchers than R->D? It seems notable that we didn't see any R's in the MI or MN legislatures switch when D's finally took control, or VA back in 2020.
The GOP has an easier road to legislative majorities in many states. They also have gained a lot of institutional experience and steady power in many states over the gerrymandered 2010s.
There is simply no good reason for any small time legislator in many states to switch to the Democrats, when they either are in the minority or only have a tenuous hold of the legislature.
I can see that in many Midwestern states, although Michigan arguably has D-leaning maps now, so the calculus might be a bit different going forward. However, the one that really shocked me was no R->D switches in VA after the 2019 elections. Though it didn't quite work out in retrospect, that legit seemed like the end of an era at the time with the R speaker of the HoD who held everything together for the decade retiring. Reasonable R legislators had to be wondering if they would spend the rest of their careers in the minority, yet no one switched in either chamber.
Maybe because Democrats are far more intolerant of dissent. The GOP is happy to have this woman in their ranks for many reasons, even if she is not a perfectly reliable voter. If Republicans in Virginia switched, how long until Democratic institutions celebrate their ousting like Chap Peterson?
Joe Manchin seems to be the target of a lot more animosity than Lisa Murkowski, let alone Susan Collins. Some people are too obsessed with ideology.
