Lisa Crum
Staff Writer

This most recent election was nothing short of exciting if you’re a Democrat. People arrived at polls on Nov. 7 to speak their minds about the current state of the country.

Around the country, Democrats took jobs away from Republican incumbents.

In Virginia, Danica Roem, who is also the first transgender woman elected to a public office, won against Republican incumbent of twenty-five years Bob Marshall.

New Jersey saw another Republican incumbent unseated in John L. Carman, who was beaten in the race by Ashley Marshall.

In an interview with Dr. Matt Johnson he said the sudden resurgence in Democratic wins could simply be a “flash in the pan,” but on the other hand, it could show that people are tiring of “Trumpism.” He continued by saying that Republicans are beginning to speak out against the racist remarks that were seen in some campaigns this past election cycle, which could be seen as more incumbents trying to distance themselves from the president.

The most prominent of these campaigns?

The Virginian GOP candidate for governor, Ed Gillespie tied himself tightly to the ideals of Trump, by releasing ads that spoke in support of Confederate monuments and also called for an end to sanctuary cities.

This campaign failed him and the Democratic candidate, Ralph Northam, won the office. The president responded by tweeting out that “Gillespie did not embrace me or what I stand for.” The Virginia gubernatorial race is seen as the Republican biggest loss of the election.

Democrats were also successful in the Lancaster area. Lancaster City elected democratic candidate Danene Sorace to be the new mayor. Democrats won big in Manheim which saw the school board turn almost completely blue, winning eight out of nine seats.

In Manheim, the race for the board of commissioners was tainted by a Republican incumbent releasing a controversial pamphlet which shed a less than positive view of their Lancaster city neighbors.

All in all, the big winners of the 2017 election were Democrats. Dr. Johnson noted that if Democrats want to continue to be successful in the 2018 election they need to continue to focus on local issues and not just campaign based solely on disagreeing with Trump. Only time will tell if they are capable of doing this.