RNC: 2021 ELECTION NIGHT AFTER ACTION MEMO!

ELECTION 2021: KEY TAKEAWAYS

The takeaway from Tuesday is simple: voters have had enough of Joe Biden and Democrats’ far-left policies, and a red wave is coming to sweep them out in the midterms next year.

•     As the Cook Political Report’s Dave Wasserman said, Tuesday’s “results” are consistent [with] a political environment in which Republicans would comfortably take back both the House and Senate in 2022.”

In seemingly every part of the country and among every demographic, Republicans made huge gains.

•     If Republican candidates run on strong platforms about the economy, education, and crime – as many of last night’s winning GOP candidates did – we can compete in even the deepest of blue states, districts, and cities.

Biden is toxic: In deep blue states and swing districts across the country, candidates who tied themselves to Biden and his agenda were defeated at the polls.

•     Biden’s approval rating continues to fall, and with it, Democrats up and down the ballot will fall in the midterms.

•     Terry McAuliffe was right about one thing: Joe Biden “is unpopular.”

FIELD & DATA & FIELD OPERATIONS MATTER

  • The RNC’s data-driven ground game works and delivered results in races with tight margins on Tuesday.
  • RNC has already activated more than 43,000 volunteers nationwide.
  • RNC had over 300 staff on the ground, 9 community centers focused on minority engagement, and made over 7.5 million voter contacts across the country.
  • RNC Chairwoman McDaniel’s investment and commitment to data-driven resources and the infrastructure is already delivering results and will be crucial to gains in 2022 and beyond.

In Virginia alone, the RNC had over 120 staff on the ground, 13 victory offices, and made over 7.5 million voter contacts.

  • The Virginia field team broke voter contact records by targeting voters in key areas to drive up GOP margins and turnout our voters.
  • Republicans flipped multiple suburban counties for Glenn Youngkin, including:

o Stafford (+7.6%)

o Virginia Beach (+7.4%)

o Chesapeake (+6.7%)

o Chesterfield (+6%)

o James City (+5.7%)

* Utilizing RNC Data, our field team targeted low-turnout and low-propensity voters through voter contact efforts.

o In a race that was considered a toss-up as we headed into Election Day, our field team was able to create nearly 100,000 unexpected Republican votes.

GROWING THE PARTY

The RNC has made significant investments to grow our party.  This includes building on fundamentals, like voter registration, and opening community centers for Black, Hispanic and Asian Americans earlier than ever.

  • Glenn Youngkin received more votes than any Virginia governor in history. Governor-elect Youngkin won Hispanics and Latinos by a 55-44, and he received 13% of the Black vote.
  • Veteran and immigrant Winsome Sears will become the first woman and first black woman Lieutenant Governor.
  • Cuban-American Jason Miyares is Virginia’s first Latino Attorney General.
  • Texas Republican John Lujan flipped HD-118, a district Biden won by 14 points and is 73% Hispanic. Last month, Representative-elect Lujan headlined the RNC’s Community Center grand opening in San Antonio.
  • On the local level, Black Republicans like A.C. Cordoza (VA-91), Donald Douglas (KY SD-22), and Jalen Johnson (Albany City Commission-II) highlight the growth and diversity of the GOP at all levels.

MESSAGING MATTERS

Voters resoundingly rejected Joe Biden and the Democrats’ policy agenda in key races on Tuesday.

The Economy: The failed economic agenda of Biden and blue state governors was on the ballot on Tuesday.

  • In Virginia, Youngkin ran on cutting taxes and lowering the costs of items ranging from gas to groceries. As a result, he carried voters most concerned about taxes by 42 points and voters concerned about the economy and jobs by 12 points.

Education: Voters in Virginia were loud and clear: Parents matter.

  • For Virginians who listed education as a top issue,  7 out of 10 voted for Youngkin.
  • Youngkin won K-12 parents by  15 percent.
  • CBS News’ exit poll shows that Youngkin won among parents who had children under 18. The poll also showed 51 percent of voters want parents to have “a lot” of say in a child’s education.

Public Safety: In communities across the country – from Seattle to Buffalo – voters rejected the Democrats’ defund the police agenda.

  • Voters in Minneapolis overwhelmingly rejected Democrat-led efforts to eliminate their police department after a sharp spike in violent crime.
  • In deep-blue Seattlevoters Republican Ann Davison is on the verge of becoming the first Republican to be elected city attorney in more than three decades.
  • Voter rejected the socialist defund-the-police mayoral candidate India Walton in Buffalo, who was trounced by a write-in campaign.
  • In New York, Republicans had their best election night since 2016, including winning several key district attorney elections.
    • Anne Donnelly became the first Republican District Attorney elected in Nassau County in two decades, and Republican Ray Tierney soundly defeated the incumbent Democrat in Suffolk County.
    • Republican Danielle Fogel won the newly created  5th District State Supreme Court seat.

ELECTION INTEGRITY MATTERS

The RNC has been a national leader in election integrity operations, building the largest Election Operation in history with staffers dedicated to election integrity across the country.

The RNC is running the most comprehensive legal strategy to date, in addition to recruiting, training, and activating volunteers to be at polling locations throughout the voting process – from Early Voting through Election Day.

Virginia: The election integrity team worked to successfully organize a robust poll-watching operation.

  •   Held over 50 election integrity trainings with over 3,200 attendees.
    • These trainings cover pollwatching and other best practices, equipping thousands of volunteers to effectively monitor election proceedings to ensure transparency.
  •   Scheduled over 3,400 early voting poll-watching shifts as well as over 2,900 shifts on Election Day.
    • In 37 target Virginia counties, poll watchers have covered 100% of polling locations.
  • Engaged an estimated 500 attorneys involved with our integrity efforts in Virginia.

New Jersey: The RNC has also been a national leader on the election integrity front, and that’s especially true of our efforts in New Jersey. The RNC’s continued efforts in New Jersey are ramping up and now include:

  • The RNC is deploying an additional 20 lawyers on the ground in New Jersey to help supervise the vote counting processes and to ensure only legal votes are counted.
  • Leading up to the election, the RNC, working with the state party, had lawyers covering every county in New Jersey to ensure legal transparency ahead of election day. This coverage will continue in the coming days.
  • The RNC is preparing to launch any necessary litigation to ensure the integrity of the election process.

Leading up to Election Day, the RNC recruited and trained volunteers to poll-watch and establish best practices to ensure that elections are free, fair, and transparent.

  • The RNC filled 127 poll watching shifts on election day, which represents 122% coverage of our 104 targeted precincts across New Jersey.
  • Held over 30 poll-watching trainings, recruiting and training 286 poll watchers.
    • The team recruited 137 poll workers that worked just over 700 combined days of poll working.
  • Our election integrity program sent over 187,000 emails and over 54,000 texts to New Jersey voters.

GOP DEFINING VICTORIES

Beyond statewide wins in Virginia and a close statewide race in New Jersey, Republicans had huge victories up and down the ballot thanks to our efforts and partnerships with the campaigns, state parties, RGA, RSLC, and RNLA.

Virginia suburbs

•     Glenn Youngkin outperformed the 2020 Republican ticket in the key suburb of Loudoun County by 8-points.

•    In line with recent polling from the NRCCNRSCand Morning ConsultRepublicans continue to make gains with suburban voters as they reject Bidens’ agenda.

San Antonio, TX

•  Republican candidate John Lujan flipped House District 118a district Biden won by 14 points in 2020 and is 73% Hispanic.

•  This victory builds on Republican momentum in South Texas and underscores that Hispanics reject Joe Biden’s open border policies.

•  The RNC recently opened a Hispanic community center in Bexar County near HD-118.

Virginia House District 75

•  Republican candidate H. Otto Wachsmann Jr. flipped House District 75, a majority black district that Northam won by 5 points in 2017 and Hillary Clinton won by 10 points in 2016.

•  CNN exit polls show Youngkin won 13% of the Black vote in Virginia, an improvement from 2020.

Bergen County, NJ

• Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli made significant gains in Bergen County, New Jersey, a county Biden won by nearly 16 points. The race is currently only separated by less than a percentage point.

    • Republicans flipped two Somerset County Commission seats, breaking the 5-0 hold on the county’s governing body.
    • Republicans also flipped two Gloucester County Commission seats, where Republicans haven’t won a countywide seat since 2010, breaking the Democrats’ 7-0 hold on the county’s governing body.

Luzerne County, PA

•  In the bellwether county of Luzerne, Republicans swept all 5 county council seats, with 3 flips, resulting in an 11- member council with a 9-2 Republican majority.

•  In Pennsylvania’s statewide judicial elections, Republicans have won all three races that have been called, and looks like they will win the fourth to make a clean sweep.

Seattle, WA

  • In deep-blue  SeattleRepublican Ann Davison is on the verge of becoming the first Republican to be elected city attorney in more than three decades.
  • This victory proves that Americans, even in the deepest of blue cities, are rejecting Democrats’ calls to defund the police and turning towards the Republican Party’s pro-law enforcement and public safety message.

  GOP SCORECARD

Virginia:

  • Governor: Glenn Youngkin
  • Lt. Governor: Winsome Sears
  • Attorney General: Jason Miyares
  • House of Delegates: GOP Flip +6 Seats
    • HD-12
    • HD-28
    • HD-63
    • HD-75
    • HD-83
    • HD-91

New Jersey:

  • State Senate races still too close to call
  • Flipped 2 Somerset County Commissioner Seats
    • Michael Kirsh
    • Amber Murad
  • Flipped 2 Gloucester County Commissioners Seats
    • Nick DeSilvio
    • Chris Konawel

Pennsylvania:

  • Statewide Judicial Races:
    • Supreme Court Justice: Kevin Brobson
    • Superior Court Judge: Megan Sullivan
    • Commonwealth  Court  Judge:  Stacy
  • Wallace
    • Westmoreland County

▪     GOP swept the countywide slate

▪     District  Attorney:  Nicole  Ziccarelli, GOP Flip

  • Luzerne County
    • GOP won all 5 County Council seats, with 3 flips
    • Court of Common Pleas: Tarah Toohil, GOP Flip

Texas:

  • House District 118:
    • John Lujan, GOP Flip

Ohio:

  • OH-15: Mike Carey, GOP Hold

New Hampshire:

  • Rochester Mayoral Race
    • Paul Callaghan, GOP Flip
    • Note: the first time a Republican has won in nearly two decades

 New York:

  • New York City City Council:
    • District 48: GOP Flip, Inna Vernikov
    • District 19: GOP Flip, Vickie Paladino
    • District 43: GOP Flip, Brian Fox
  • New York State Supreme Court:
    • 5th Judicial District: Danielle Fogel
    • Suffolk County District Attorney: Ray Tierney
  • Nassau County:
    • District  Attorney:  GOP  Flip,  Anne Donnelly
    • County Executive: GOP Flip, Bruce Blakeman
    • Glen Clove Mayor: GOP Flip, Pamela Panzenbeck
  • Monroe County Legislature:
    • District 13: Matthew Borkowski, GOP Flip
    • District 26: Orlando Rivera, GOP Flip

Georgia:

  • Held 6 Mayoral Seats
    • Sandy Springs
    • Johns Creek
    • Roswell
    • Dacula
    • Jesup
    • Marietta

South Carolina:

  • Georgetown Mayor: Carol Jayroe, GOP Flip

North Carolina:

  • Republicans won 5/6 mayoral races with 3 flips:
    • Holly Springs
    • Fuquay-Varina
    • Burlington

Florida:

  • Hialeah Mayor: Steve Bovo, GOP Hold

Washington

  • Seattle City Attorney: Ann Daviso

Peter M. Feaman

National Committeeman for Florida

[email protected]