Yes There Are Warning Signs For the GOP. Will They Notice?

A friend sent me a super interesting URL that is showing signs of taking down the GOP in a state that‘s ruby red. Well, they aren’t anymore. Ruby red, that is. I think you’ll enjoy this. It’s something to smile about. From The Downballot:

Iowa Democrat Catelin Drey won a major upset on Tuesday night, flipping a deep-red seat in the state Senate and breaking the GOP’s supermajority in the chamber. Drey defeated Republican Christopher Prosch by a wide 55-45 margin in a district Donald Trump carried by 11 points last year. It’s the second conservative district that Iowa Republicans have lost in the legislature this year, and the results will further buoy Democratic hopes for similar victories in contests for governor and the U.S. Senate in 2026.

That margin, wow. That’s no small amount, and the voting went our way! Isn’t that a sight for your eyes? It seems that Republicans are finding out how strong the Democrats are getting, and this should concern them, even though I doubt it actually will. But flipping a seat in a red state should still show them something.

The GOP can’t coast anymore, even with the Texas gerrymandering. The voters are noticing. The people are *really* unhappy with the Big Ugly Bill they voted in (no thanks to you, Jodi Ernst, and I’ll bet you lose your seat next year. It’s about time.) They are unhappy with all talk and no action. The GOP is letting them down. One day soon, they’ll see that. Well, I hope they will.

But the outcome may say even more about the broader political environment in Iowa. In three prior special elections in the Hawkeye State this year, Democrats have run far ahead of last year’s presidential results. Republicans pulled from their traditional playbook and sought to paint Drey as out of step with the district. As Laura Belin at Bleeding Heartland highlighted, Prosch ran ads showing an old picture of her sporting pink hair, saying she had “kooky ideas” and falsely claiming she backs “open borders.”

But Drey clapped right back. “I think I looked great with pink hair, but the upkeep was exhausting,” she said in a response ad. “My ‘kooky ideas’ are fully funding our public schools, making housing and child care more affordable, and putting more money back in the pockets of working Iowans.

Touche, ma’am. Game, set, and match. Democrats are waking up and reminding the US what they can and will do. (It’s about time.) We aren’t coasting. We’re finally back up and working. This is good.

Democrats in Iowa and across the country exulted in Drey’s triumph. Notably, a trio of prominent Democrats vying to take on Republican Sen. Joni Ernst next year—Zach Wahls, Nathan Sage, and Josh Turek—all traveled to Sioux City to rally support for Drey. The three now have even greater reason to think they could do next year what Drey just did on Tuesday night.

Yes, we can, and we will. I’m so pleased that something is going right. Wake up, Democrats! Now we just need to build on it and show the GOP in midterms what we can actually accomplish. Let’s do this!

Friends, I know everybody begs you for money. I promise you that of all of the outlets bugging you for spare change, we are the smallest and the hardest working. We’re a bunch of old, disabled people, except one writer in his mid-50s. But the rest of us are in our sixties and seventies, and this is a labor of love. All we’re asking for is the ability to continue our quest to tell the truth about Trump and ensure democracy survives. If you can help, please do. Thanks. Ursula

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