| | | | 4 thoughts on what Virginia means for 2018 | | By 8:15 ET on Tuesday night, we knew Democrat Ralph Northam was going to be the next governor of Virginia.
Within the next hour, it became clear that a) the race wasn't going to be close and b) Republican Ed Gillespie was losing so badly due to how little Virginia voters liked Donald Trump.
But with 24 hours' (or so) hindsight, there's a whole lot more we know about who voted in Virginia, why they made the choice they did and what it all might mean for the two parties heading into 2018.
We know all this because of the exit polls, which I spent the afternoon digging through. Below are four of the numbers that jumped out at me -- and why.
1. Minds were made up on this race long ago. Two-thirds of voters made up their mind on a candidate before October. Of that group, Northam won 55% to Gillespie's 44%. The early decisions confirm people were set to vote against Trump and Northam's rough final few weeks didn't mean as much as it might have in another race.
2. The 40(ish) and under crowd were huge for Northam. Among voters in Virginia who were between 18 and 45, Northam crushed Gillespie by 30 points. There were more voters older than 45 in the electorate -- about two-thirds of the total voters -- but Gillespie only won them by two points. That wasn't nearly enough to overcome Northam's massive edge among younger voters.
3. Health care was dominant and decisive. Roughly four in 10 voters said health care was the most important issue in deciding their vote. That was more than double the next issue named -- gun policy, at 17%. Among those voters who said health care was the most important issue for them, Northam crushed Gillespie 77%-23%. That's indicative of just how large a political disaster the attempts to repeal and replace Obamacare have been for Republicans.
4. Democrats came out in force. There are lots of ways to measure turnout by party but one of the most telling is what party people self-identify with when asked by exit pollsters. On Tuesday, 41% of Virginia voters called themselves Democrats as compared to 30% who said they were Republicans and 28% who identified as independents. That means Democrats turned out in far greater numbers or lots of the Republicans who did turn out didn't want to say they were Republicans. Either way, it spelled doom for the GOP.
Take one big step back from all these numbers and you see a Democratic base hyper-energized, health care as a clear political anchor for Republicans, young voters moving heavily against the GOP/Trump and that dislike toward Trump leading people to make their minds up early and not to change that opinion.
That's one toxic political stew for Republicans.
-- Chris | | A new CNN poll conducted by SSRS found that Trump's approval rating is bad, while views of the economy are good. CNN's Ryan Struyk explains why that's weird:
Despite economic optimism soaring to a broad, bipartisan 68% positive rating, Trump's approval rating keeps sinking -- now at a new low of 36% this week in a new CNN poll
In fact, that gap between the strong economy and Trump's low approval rating -- 32 points -- is the largest negative split in more than two decades of polls from CNN and Gallup.
The number of Americans who say economic conditions are good has climbed a remarkable 20 percentage points since Election Day, from 48% to 68%. Most of the climb has occurred among Republicans, who now occupy the White House, from 33% then to 88% now.
Look out for Ryan's full analysis tomorrow on CNN Politics' website. | | "We already made that choice. We're with Trump."
-Speaker of the House Paul Ryan in an interview on Fox News host Brian Kilmeade's radio show | | | Saba and CNN's Sarah Mucha talked to advocacy groups and experts about how women -- those running and those voting -- won big on election night.
In Virginia, Democrat Ralph Northam won the governor's race, thanks in large part to the women who showed up to the polls to vote. He led with women by a broad 21 percentage points, according to exit polls. One of the biggest forces in the Virginia races was Planned Parenthood, which helped Democrats defeat a Republican lieutenant governor nominee, Jill Vogel, who as a state senator had pushed a bill requiring women seeking abortions to undergo vaginal ultrasounds.
Elsewhere in the state, a handful of first-time female candidates -- including the state's first openly transgender candidate, Danica Roem -- won races for the House of Delegates.
"It is just wonderful to have these victories," NOW President Toni Van Pelt told Saba in a phone interview. "It's a warning to everybody in the country that women are standing up and they are standing together."
Look for Saba and Sarah's full story tomorrow on CNN's website. | | Speaking of elections, this time last year everything changed (as you probably realized in looking at your "on this day" social media posts).
CNN's Greg Krieg wrote a massive oral/Twitter history about Election 2016. Krieg joked writing it "broke my knuckles." But the hard work was worth it. The piece features anecdotes from a ton of CNN folks, including CNN Senior White House Correspondent Jeff Zeleny, CNN senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta, CNN producer Betsy Klein, CNN National Politics reporter MJ Lee and many more voices.
As MJ recalled in the story: "The mood inside the Javits Center seemed to turn quickly. The cheerful atmosphere had turned overwhelmingly dark. You could feel it and see it all around -- so many blank stares and hushed tones and, eventually, the tears."
Check out Krieg's full story here. | | REPORTING FOR (JURY) DUTY | | Presidents -- they're just like us!
Former President Barack Obama reported for jury duty in Chicago on Wednesday morning. Although Obama lives in D.C., he maintains a home in Chicago.
He was ultimately dismissed from the pool.
Read more in CNN's story by Maegan Vazquez here. | | Political party isn't the only thing New Jersey Gov.-elect Phil Murphy and current Republican Gov. Chris Christie don't have in common.
Murphy, a Democrat, is also not a ride-or-die Bruce Springsteen fan. He told CNN's "New Day" on Wednesday that he prefers Bon Jovi because they're friends.
Christie's appreciation for Springsteen -- he's said he's attended more than 100 of his concerts -- is no secret.
Read more in CNN's story by Daniella Diaz here. | | | We hope you cheer for The Point, and tell everyone you know to subscribe. | | We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Follow this link for daily coverage of the world's top stories, savvy market insights, an insider's look into the media, and more. Our authors for The Point are Chris Cillizza and Saba Hamedy. Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris or Saba. Follow on Twitter: Chris and Saba. | | | Get the Nightcap, a comprehensive summary of the most important political news, delivered to your inbox daily. | | | | | |
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