Washington Examiner Commentary Writer Tiana Lowe Doescher credited the now 36-day government shutdown for the runaway wins from Democratic candidates in New Jersey and Virginia.
“What I can say is that now the longest government shutdown in history did what it was designed to do, and it was to juice up the margins for Democrats, right?” Lowe Doecher said on NewsmaxTV’s Wake Up America Early on Wednesday. “New Jersey and Virginia are both two hubs of federal employment, Virginia being the primary one.”
Former congresswoman Abigail Spanberger won the governor’s race by a 16-point lead, and Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) held a 13-point lead in her governor’s race as of Wednesday morning.
With 95% of the vote counted as of Wednesday morning, Lowe Doescher noted that Attorney General-elect Jay Jones secured a 6-point win despite his vulnerability due to leaked threatening texts.
“Jay Jones performed exactly as well as Kamala Harris, who was the democratic presidential nominee. That is not good for Republicans, obviously,” Lowe Doescher said. “The shutdown is a major factor. It won’t be a factor in the midterms.”
The Senate is expected to attempt another vote on Wednesday to fund the government.
President Donald Trump’s endorsements fell short during this off-year election. Trump endorsed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo for New York City mayor and Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli for New Jersey governor, but both lost their respective races.