Senator McCaskill has celebrated winning a number of outstate counties that had been solidly Republican red in other elections and in other years. But a look at other election results indicates she painted those counties blue with a small brush and a thin coat of blue paint. There’s a question whether she used water color or whether it will turn out she used latex political paint. Paint needs time to cure. We’ll see how that process does.
There is considerable suggestion that Todd Akin helped stir the paint in McCaskill’s blue bucket.
While McCaskill was celebrating winning in outstate counties, Republicans in the Missouri House were painting even more areas red to the extent that they gained enough seats to have a veto-proof majority. Senate Republicans lost two seats but also are still veto-proof in their numbers.
A look at the Missouri map in the presidential race shows solid red except for Boone County and the two major metropolitan areas. Clearly McCaskill Blue was pretty thin.
The challenge for her party is to find a way to put another layer of blue paint over hers and maybe let some of the color spill into other areas. The challenge for the Republican Party is to keep the blue from seeping into its part of the map.
Some might see McCaskill Blue and the gaining of two seats in the Senate the beginning of a Democratic comeback. But Republicans still hold the red paint brush. It’s a lot bigger and they’re unlikely to let it slip out of their hands easily.
Democrats have to have a better strategy than having a Republican stir their paint for them if they want McCaskill blue to spread.
Maps:
- Presidential map – https://elections.
huffingtonpost.com/2012/ or https://www.politico.com/2012-results#missouri election/results/president/ missouri/ - Senate map – https://www.politico.com/2012-election/results/senate/missouri/
- Congressional districts map – https://www.politico.com/2012-election/results/house/missouri/
- Governors map – https://www.politico.com/2012-election/results/governor/missouri/
