WINNERS
Women:
Women comprised 53 percent of the total national vote -- as they did in 2008 --
and went for Obama by 11 points, a gender gap critical to his victory. Female
politicians -- particularly on the Democratic side -- also had a very good
night. The Senate added Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Tammy Baldwin (Wis.), Mazie
Hirono (Hawaii) and Heidi Heitkamp to its ranks while re-electing potential
2016-ers Kirstin Gillibrand (N.Y.) and Amy Klobuchar (Minn.). In New Hampshire,
women ruled the day -- electing a new governor (Maggie Hassan) and two new
House Members (Carol Shea Porter and Ann Kuster). Add Sens. Kelly Ayotte (R)
and Jeanne Shaheen (D) to that mix and you have an all-female congressional
delegation from the Granite State.
Young
voters: Long the butt of jokes about their lack of participation in the
political process, the 18-29-year-old set made a major statement in the 2012
campaign. One of the most amazing stats of the 2012 election is that young
voters made up a larger percentage of the total electorate (18 percent in 2008,
19 percent in 2012) than they did four years ago. And while Obama's margin
wasn't as large among that youthful age group as it was four years ago, he
still carried 18-29-year-olds by 24 points. We are, we are the youth of the
nation -- indeed.
LOSERS
Tea-party
champions: The tea-party wing of the GOP cost Republicans near sure-thing
Senate seats in Missouri and Indiana by nominating two candidates who were
aligned with their views but not with the broader electorates of the states
they were running to represent. Add Richard Mourdock and Todd Akin to a list
that in 2010 included Sharron Angle, Christine O'Donnell and Ken Buck and you
see five Senate seats that Republicans could easily be holding if they had
nominated the more electable candidate. At the House level, tea-party hero Joe
Walsh (Ill.) lost badly and Rep. Allen West (Fla.) appears headed to defeat
although he has yet to concede the contest. Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.) eked
out a win despite the Republican nature of her suburban Twin Cities seat. The
message? Being a tea-party hero is great if you are running for the tea-party
nomination. Of course, that doesn't exist.
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