Veteran newsman David Gregory explained that there may still be more information needed to fully understand the impact of November's 2019 off-season elections, but that it's clear President Donald Trump is somewhat of a factor.
In Kentucky, Gov. Matt Bevin (R-KY) was so unpopular that his Republican counterparts on the state-wide ballot scored as much as 50,000 more votes than he did. That clearly has more to do with Bevin than it does with Trump.
However, what is different in some areas of Kentucky and certainly all over Virginia is that turnout was astronomical.
"I think we’re looking at a lot of these districts around a state like Virginia which tended to be a Democratic state in presidential races," said Gregory. "But if you look at a lot of these districts, it gets harder and harder for Republicans in the Trump era to go back and win re-election. It’s because, in a lot of these suburban areas that are more typically Republican areas, you have people who are fed up with Trump or the Trump version of the Republican Party, Trumpism."
When it comes to Kentucky, the polarization was also a factor, he said because Trump motivates Democrats to come to the polls.
"There is the toxicity and the polarization in the country, so turnout matters," Gregory noted. "So we see that in Kentucky where in urban areas, you get high Democratic turnout. They’re against Trump. They’re against the Trump brand of Republicanism. The other piece of it is look at a state like Kentucky where health care is a big issue. The history of health care, a successful health care system with the exchange under the Affordable Care Act. That’s what Democrats ran on so successfully in 2018 and won back a lot of these suburban districts."
He noted that there's a toxicity in politics that is talked about almost daily on cable news, but "a lot of people simply don't have time for it."
He explained that what they want is trying to figure out their prescription drugs and if they can afford their health insurance. Bevin took that away from them.
"That’s the pain that they’re feeling," said Gregory. "A politician who can speak to that pain is going to get results."
CNN correspondent Dana Bash noted that it doesn't seem like Virginia is going to be a swing state for the 2020 election and what was once a purple state for President Barack Obama is quickly turning bluer with every election Trump touches.
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