The 2022 midterm results defy logic and critical thinking. Despite the absolute state of the union this midterm was, by the numbers, “The Night of the Incumbent.”
In October, the NY Times was publicly stunned by their Siena College poll, revealing that most voters are most worried about government corruption: That the government is not working on behalf of the people.
They were stunned because the concern was paramount for 68% of voters and it was an open-ended question. To accept the 2022 midterm results, you must accept that those most concerned about government corruption voted to keep the government in place.
As I write this, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert is leading her race for Congressional District 3. It is unclear why the alleged “Gold Standard of Elections” cannot efficiently count votes on election night, especially since the holdup in this contest appears to be Pueblo County where Secretary of State Jena Griswold appointed an Election Supervisor. Per last month’s ruling against Elbert County Clerk & Recorder Dallas Schroeder, the Election Supervisor appointment puts Secretary Griswold in charge of the county’s elections. And so we wait for Secretary Griswold to give us the “results.”
In a pre-midterm press conference, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said of counting delays that, “This is how this is supposed to work.”
You would think that such White House confidence combined with Colorado State Department’s oversight would ensure smooth elections. Things aren’t going smoothly, and we’re being gaslit about it (again).
From the local NBC affiliate four days after election day, “‘Why is it taking so long to count the ballots?’ As Gilbert ‘Bo’ Ortiz, the Pueblo County Clerk and Recorder, said, ‘It could be because we’re American and we want instant gratification.’”
“This is how this is supposed to work.” Don’t question it, denier.
Keep in mind that the people telling us the delays, glitches, issues, and ambiguity are expected, are the same people that sold Americans electronic voting equipment in the name of efficiency and transparency. These are the same people that sold us mass mail-in voting with the single security control of signature verification which is, according to all honest experts, a Potemkin Village.
As I write this, there is still no official statement released from Secretary Griswold on the issues with CD3. Is it weird that the Colorado midterm’s only known issues happen to be in the race with the state’s sole MAGA candidate?
The political establishment, on both sides, want you to believe they are securing our elections; in reality, they innovated security out of U.S. elections a long time ago.
As the dust settles, establishment Republicans — both those known as establishment and those who are currently making their allegiance known — are taking a victory lap and claiming that the red wave’s failure to materialize is a “referendum on Trumpism” and “we need to move on from MAGA.”
This is silly, of course. The Colorado GOP manipulated or, at the very least influenced, the candidate selection, both at the assembly and during the primary. Party leadership openly mocks the politically active portion of their base while alienating the unaffiliated middle (46%) through authoritarian policy priorities that are irredeemably out of touch with the Colorado electorate.
With the current geo- and socio-political environment, Republicans should have been competitive in Colorado’s Governor and Senate races, even with electronic voting equipment. Unfortunately, Burton Brown picked up the playbook — unpopular candidates with no fight or fire — of her predecessor Ken Buck (CD4), and the party’s high-profile candidates lost by double digits and conceded immediately.
Intentional or incompetence, the Colorado Republican Party is terrible at winning elections.
I posit that this is because they are corrupt, unlikeable, and without political capital or credibility; but whatever the reason, they need to reflect on their failed 2022 midterm strategy, both the theory and the execution.
There is no “moving on from MAGA.” The people want America to be great again which means shaking up the power dynamics obstructing our desired change.
If the GOP hopes for a comeback in the Centennial State, Republicans must find a way to reconnect with voters and rebuild trust.
I’m not holding my breath. They seem quite content in the minority.
Ashe Epp is a writer and election integrity activist. Read her work at asheinamerica.com and follow her on Telegram and other socials @asheinamerica.
