OPINION:
Money, money, money.
Money, not abortion, was the deciding factor in the elections this past Tuesday. Liberals had a financial advantage in five of the six states where major races took place this week. Not surprisingly, they won in five of those six states.
In Kentucky, the wildly popular governor, Andy Beshear, and his allies spent $48 million compared with those supporting Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron at $43.3 million, according to AdImpact. The incumbent Democrat won, even as a Republican was elected attorney general and the incumbent Republican secretary of state sailed to reelection.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin worked hard to raise $27.6 million for Republican candidates for the General Assembly, but $35.2 million was raised by Democrats running for state House of Delegates and Senate seats, according to AdImpact. Some are suggesting it was as much as $50 million.
Abortion was a key issue in the Virginia races, as liberals ran ads attacking “MAGA extremists” who want to ban abortion. Never mind that Mr. Youngkin proposed a prohibition at 15 weeks with exceptions. The left had so many more ads because of a financial advantage, and they used it to burn their message into the minds of voters. Still, Republicans won 13 districts that were carried by President Biden in 2020.
Nearly $25 million was spent to pass a referendum issue promoting abortion access in Ohio versus the $16.3 million spent by pro-life advocates in the state. The contested races for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court saw more than $10 million spent on behalf of liberal candidates while spending for conservative candidates was a quarter less than the winning side. Legislative Democrats had a more than $6.5 million advantage over Republican candidates in New Jersey. In each of these races, the winners were the ones with more money, and they were the liberals.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves was the big exception at the top of the ticket with a Republican win on Tuesday. As an incumbent, he outspent his opponent — but not by much — and the race was close. He is a pro-life Republican who won.
In the same state, Republican Attorney General Lynn Fitch was reelected on Tuesday. She is the first woman to hold that office and the first Republican to do so since Reconstruction. She is also the attorney general who took the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case to the U.S. Supreme Court, which overturned the Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey decisions. Ms. Fitch won reelection by nearly 20 points.
Last month, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, a strong pro-life official, won a solid victory in the race for governor, ending an eight-year drought for Republicans. His victory was large enough to avoid a runoff — which was the first time since 2011.
Abortion is an issue in elections these days, but it is not the deciding issue if conservative candidates have enough resources to address it adequately and then connect with others. Poll after poll shows the No. 1 topic on the minds of voters is the economy (a poll of college students conducted for Young America’s Foundation even found their number one issue is the economy, as well).
Conservatives need to find better ways to pin the tail on the donkey and let voters know liberal policies are causing them and their families economic pain. They also need to find a way to encourage their base to get more involved in raising the resources necessary to counter the massive financial advantage of the left.
A poll conducted last week showed former President Donald Trump ahead of President Biden in five of six battleground states. The poll points to voter dissatisfaction over Mr. Biden’s handling of the economy. It also reveals strong feelings from voters that the incumbent is too old and is putting the nation at risk. Obama adviser David Axelrod was one of the first high-profile Democrats to suggest it might be time for the president to move on.
The results of the Nov. 7 elections may have bought Mr. Biden more time. Democrats were celebrating the day after the elections. Well, they should, as these were big wins. They should not, however, read too much into the November 2024 elections, as money will not be as large a factor because voters overwhelmingly know the two likely nominees: Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump.
Last year, Republicans underperformed in what should have been a “red wave.” The one exception was governors.
Every Republican governor up for reelection won. Most of them were strongly pro-life, but they didn’t make their campaigns about one issue. Crucially, they had the money to get their message out and counter the attacks of their opponents.
Conservatives need to wake up and realize they need to raise more money if they are going to win elections. The future of America depends on it.
• Scott Walker is president of Young America’s Foundation and served as the 45th governor of Wisconsin.
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