Given a choice between Democrats they see as too far to the left, and Republicans they see as too far to the right, urban voters seem to prefer the Democrats. So do many suburban voters.
As a result, Republicans lost the mayoral elections Tuesday in two big cities they have long governed. They lost the mayoral election in the biggest city they run in America — Jacksonville — and also lost the mayor’s race in another major city — Colorado Springs. The loss in Jacksonville is striking, because most voters there are more suburban than urban, because the City of Jacksonville long ago annexed the surrounding county, meaning that many Jacksonville voters don’t live in a densely-populated area, and aren’t truly urban.
The American Independent reports:
Republicans on Tuesday night lost two mayoral elections in cities long-held by the GOP, marking the latest instance of Republicans’ lurch to the right that is hurting the party at the ballot box.
Democrat Donna Deegan defeated Republican Daniel Davis in Jacksonville, Florida, becoming the first female mayor in city history and the second Democrat in the last 30 years to hold the office.
In Colorado Springs, Colorado, independent Yemi Mobolade defeated Republican former Secretary of State Wayne Williams. It’s the first time since voters in the city began directly electing mayors in 1979 that a Republican will not hold the office, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette.
The Republican candidates in both races painted their opponents as dangerous liberals, yet the message didn’t stick — even in places like Colorado Springs, which backed former President Donald Trump in 2020.
Republican restrictions on first-trimester abortions in places like Florida are unpopular with voters, even more unpopular than the Democrats’ support for third-trimester abortions, which is also quite unpopular. Largely banning abortion after 15 weeks would not damage the GOP at the polls — and it would be popular with the conservative base — but banning it after 6 weeks or from the moment of conception is quite unpopular.
