# 2014 US General Election Results **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 4, 2014, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-us-general-election-results/703684 "2014-11-04T23:38:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 24
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-us-general-election-results/703684/461 "2014-11-08T14:03:18Z")
Democrats control fewest state legislatures since 1860. and that was when there were fewer to control: [http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/05/usa-elections-states-idUSL1N0SV1PH20141105](http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/05/usa-elections-states-idUSL1N0SV1PH20141105) ---
**Author:** ![crucible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@crucible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crucible)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-us-general-election-results/703684/462 "2014-11-11T12:49:35Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > You know, I actually really agree with this. > > I don’t think Obama is a failure, and I strongly believe that history will look back on him kindly. > > The biggest mistake the Democrats made in my opinion is turning their backs on him. Running, as a Democrat, without supporting the president did not gain any of them one single vote, best I can tell, and left us wondering about their character in the run up to the election. It might have inspired a lot of ‘not voting this time’ votes… All those senators who were up for reelection this year were part of the anti-Bush, anti-Gop, pro-Obama victory of 2008. then most of them decided they were the reason they won, not because the country wanted Obama vs. the GOP candidate and GOP philosophy, a philosophy that created sectarian slaughter in the mideast and an economic disaster at home. so, instead of saying, "you wanted us to go to Washington and to straighten out the economy while extracting us from wars we didn’t need to fight to begin with, and, guess what, we did it!, they said “don’t blame me for how poorly Obama has performed…we will go back to Washington and do what we can to save the country without involving the Executive” Bunch of assholes. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-us-general-election-results/703684/463 "2014-11-12T11:28:59Z")
The AP has called Alaska for Sullivan. GOP +8 > **[Alaska Senate Race Finally Ends](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/alaska-senate-midterm-election-results_n_5729950)** > > Alaska Senate Race Finally Ends ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-us-general-election-results/703684/464 "2014-11-12T15:13:50Z")
So, we won’t be hearing any dark mutterings about “voter fraud” from the Pubbies in Alaska? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-us-general-election-results/703684/465 "2014-11-12T16:44:58Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > So, we won’t be hearing any dark mutterings about “voter fraud” from the Pubbies in Alaska? If they do, they will probably claim Sullivan won despite it. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2014, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-us-general-election-results/703684/466 "2014-11-13T05:15:31Z")
Not technically a 2014 election result, but probably a result of the 2014 election. Democrats fall below Republicans in favorability as Democrats hit an all-time low: > **[Democratic Party Favorable Rating Falls to Record Low](https://news.gallup.com/poll/179345/democratic-party-favorable-rating-falls-record-low.aspx)** > > Americans' favorable rating of the Democratic Party plummeted to a record-low 36% after the party lost control of the Senate in the midterm elections. The GOP's rating remained steady at 42%. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-us-general-election-results/703684/467 "2014-11-18T00:57:34Z")
Footnote to the election: Mark Begich (D-AK) has finally conceded the race to Sullivan, after the weekend vote count clearly wasn’t going to give him the win. ---
**Author:** ![crucible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@crucible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crucible)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-us-general-election-results/703684/468 "2014-11-18T14:51:25Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Not technically a 2014 election result, but probably a result of the 2014 election. Democrats fall below Republicans in favorability as Democrats hit an all-time low: > > [Democratic Party Favorable Rating Falls to Record Low](http://www.gallup.com/poll/179345/democratic-party-favorable-rating-falls-record-low.aspx) IMHO, the general public is both brainwashed, but also responsive to the fact that they elected Obama by a wide margin in 2012, and are disgusted by the way the Dem. party refuses to run on their record, and Obama’s. I’m with Limbaugh on this one, as he says, paraphrased, :if you are a conservative, don’t pretend to be a moderate to get votes. Openly conservative and vocally partisan candidates will win, and if they don’t, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have. When you are right, you are right and you should stick to your guns.: The same goes for Democrats, especially for moderate Democrats. Lay out the reason for you political beliefs, try to tie it to the hopes and dreams of the average voter and do a decent job when you get an office. Don’t treat the electorate as though they are incapable of understanding the issues. Obamacare, ACA, whatever, is turning out to be one of the most successful efforts to make sure all Americans have basic services, since, perhaps, Medicare. Democrats, though, listen to pollsters who tell them that the Republicans have succeeded in demonizing the ACA and that taking credit for it will only doom your chances. The electorate isn’t stupid…when they see one party saying that a program is ji-ral, and the people who got it passed refusing to defend it, they will not reward the ACA people. It isn’t human nature. You want to be a Democrat, it is time to take credit for your philosophy and stop trying to bury your progressive attitudes while waving signs saying, “Vote for US, we aren’t Them!” ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-us-general-election-results/703684/469 "2014-11-18T15:01:34Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > Nonsense. You incorrectly interpreted my claim to mean that every major bill he proposed got massive public support, and that was never my claim. You then selectively nitpicked the Stimulus poll while claiming that nitpicking polls to prove support for parts of Obamacare is an illegitimate way to assess public support for individual policy changes. Oh, and I guess you also cherry-picked some sub-60 Dream Act poll, but I could cherry-pick more showing it [60+](http://www.texastribune.org/2010/06/30/majority-support-the-dream-act-poll-finds/). So none of that is very persuasive. I don’t think I cherry picked anything. I focused on issues that you raised, and I picked (at random, based on Google results) the Gallup poll which is a pretty mainsteam poll. If you want an example of cherry picking polls, it’s a guy who picked some obscure pollster that was hired by an advocacy group which - surprise surprise - showed support for their cause. My “nitpicking” of the stimulus poll was to note that it was consistently in the low 50s for a long time until it ticked up a bit in the wake of a major Obama speech on the subject. That’s not nitpicking. What you’ve done, by contrast, is to seize on selective support for specific aspects of the ACA and present these as support for the overall bill, even though the actual polls show exactly the opposite. Nonsense indeed. > [@](#): > > I think you probably also have unreasonable expectations about what strong public support looks like. Few contemporary policy proposals get to 70% (although Obama did sign legislation in that category, like DADT). So tut-tutting at legislation getting 59% is not very compelling in proving that Obama was narrowly focused on partisan wins. 60% is your yardstick, not mine (and again, the 59% was a brief uptick, as above). If you draw the line low enough, there’s probably not a president in history who is not “bipartisan” and the whole discussion is meaningless. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-us-general-election-results/703684/470 "2014-11-18T19:14:55Z")
The first poll is out for the LA runoff and it is UGLY: [http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2014/senate/la/louisiana\_senate\_cassidy\_vs\_landrieu-3670.html](http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2014/senate/la/louisiana_senate_cassidy_vs_landrieu-3670.html) I have to wonder if Democratic voters have checked out even more now that the Senate isn’t at stake. Gravis is using a likely voter screen, so that might be what they are finding. If I’m the DNC, I’d be pounding into voters’ heads about now that although 2014 is lost, holding LA means they have one less seat to win to get the majority back in 2016. Defeating three GOP incumbents will be hard enough. Defeating four is probably impossible absent a Democratic wave. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-us-general-election-results/703684/471 "2014-11-18T19:25:36Z")
> [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](#): > > Interesting. I distinctly remember that after the 2012 election the prevailing thought was that Republicans lost because they were too conservative. Now, in 2014, the prevailing thought is that Democrats lost because they weren’t liberal enough. Not sure how that works, to be honest. I don’t think anybody but the fringe is saying the Dems lost because they weren’t liberal enough. It’s more that they lost because they refused to stand on what they’d achieved. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-us-general-election-results/703684/472 "2014-11-18T21:26:33Z")
> [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](#): > > Interesting. I distinctly remember that after the 2012 election the prevailing thought was that\*\* Republicans lost because they were too conservative. Now, in 2014, the prevailing thought is that Democrats lost because they weren’t liberal enough. \*\*Not sure how that works, to be honest. There’s no contradiction, technically. 1. “2012 Republicans were too far to the right, and lost.” 2. “2014 Democrats were too far to the right, and lost.” I don’t think the claims are true, but they’re logically consistent. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-us-general-election-results/703684/473 "2014-11-18T23:15:09Z")
Given that ideology had nothing to do with the 2014 loss, I think either side of that fight would have an argument as to which direction to move in in 2016. What 2014 was about was voter dissatisfaction with Democrats’ performance, mostly the President’s performance. People who hated his performance were motivated to express that opinion at the ballot box and people who would normally have been inclined to support him found no compelling reason to go to the trouble. I think the main reason turnout was so much higher in 2010 is that those who supported the President still had a reason to go out and vote. Turnout was obviously way down from 2008, but not any worse than the usual midterm turnout. 2014 was just terrible and that has to be chalked up to a base that wasn’t just unmotivated, but also disillusioned. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2014, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-us-general-election-results/703684/474 "2014-11-22T01:34:12Z")
FAllout from the election: Americans say by a 56-33 margin that Congress, not the President, should take the lead in making policy now: [http://pollingreport.com/obama\_ad.htm](http://pollingreport.com/obama_ad.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2014, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-us-general-election-results/703684/475 "2014-11-22T06:03:25Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > FAllout from the election: Americans say by a 56-33 margin that Congress, not the President, should take the lead in making policy now: > > [Obama Administration](http://pollingreport.com/obama_ad.htm) And what do you the public will think when Congress fails to show leadership in governing? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2014, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-us-general-election-results/703684/476 "2014-11-22T06:04:50Z")
That would be very bad. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2014, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-us-general-election-results/703684/477 "2014-11-22T06:13:16Z")
And will the new Congress be more concerned with passing productive legislation, or will they continue to step on their own dicks by convening endless investigations of Obama’s unlawful actions (Benghazi, Fast & Furious, executive actions, czars _ad infinitum_) ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2014, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-us-general-election-results/703684/478 "2014-11-22T06:40:30Z")
Congress is supposed to provide oversight of the executive branch, so there’s nothing wrong with that. And they will at least pass a budget. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2014, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-us-general-election-results/703684/479 "2014-11-22T07:24:39Z")
And you think that is what the public calls leadership? ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2014, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-us-general-election-results/703684/480 "2014-11-22T16:05:16Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > And what do you the public will think when Congress fails to show leadership in governing? My guess: all politicians are bums, and then refuse to vote in the next election. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-us-general-election-results/703684.md?page=23)