What Went Down During The 2021 Elections

But, to play devil’s advocate to myself a bit, Republicans have run horror ads featuring Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama even when they weren’t on the ballot, and I don’t think it’s hurt them per se. I think running against Trump would be a fine strategy, as long as it’s not your only strategy.

I think Democrats may have expected too much out of their Trump-first strategy. Virginia may be becoming a blue state, but it’s not California, where Biden won last year by 29 points, rather than 10. I think Virginia still isn’t a state where Democrats can run a base strategy. Clearly, some Americans have changed their minds since 2020 (at least about Biden), and I don’t think I’d assume that Biden would win a head-to-head with Trump there today? Well, he probably would, but it would be close — close enough that you wouldn’t want to model your own campaign on it.

I wonder if this tightrope act — balancing between accepting Trump’s support but not looking too Trumpy — is also easier for candidates in states like Virginia and New Jersey. I can’t imagine it’ll be this straightforward in other high-profile races next year.