Post election focus group study finds school closures, not crt, drove youngkin to victory

[coloradocowboi]

"McAuliffe was seen as old news, with no memorable accomplishments in his previous term or forward-looking agenda. These voters came across as lukewarm on him, having nothing particularly egregious to complain about but also nothing to ask for a second term of. They described his first term as “not memorable” and could not point to any significant accomplishments he had as Governor, and furthermore saw him as a “politician” who appeared disconnected from voters and did not give straight answers."

This is equally part of the problem. Republicans can get away with nominating a swamp creature because tbh their base is pliant and ready to believe whatever. We can't do this. It has far less to do with moderate/progressive than it does finding candidates with good communication skills who are relatable and personable. Obviously, this focus group focuses on the privileged cohort of well-to-do suburbanites who love to play both sides for attention (nobody get offended - this describes me and my family perfectly). But this is a problem that also affects base turnout. It's one of the worst problems facing the party IMO - the kind of people who vote in Democratic primaries are MSNBC-addled KHive types, neither particularly progressive or moderate and more tribal than both, and nominate candidates that everybody else hates.

[coloradocowboi]

Also,

"Don’t underestimate the power of a positive message that speaks to people’s every day lives. This may be an obvious point, but Glenn Youngkin tapped into a major issue (rising prices of meat + other groceries) and proposed a solution (ending the grocery tax) that showed he got the problem. They also mentioned Youngkin wanting to increase funding in schools and give parents more of a say in their education."

How on Earth are there people who think that Youngkin would have been better at funding K12 education? That is malpractice on part of the McAuliffe campaign!