July 21, 2023
EDUCATED PEOPLE DON'T VOTE maga:
Republicans Are at War With College Towns. And They're Losing.: Growing population in America's highly educated enclaves has led to huge gains for the Democratic Party. And it's changing the electoral map going into 2024. (CHARLIE MAHTESIAN and MADI ALEXANDER, 07/21/2023, Politico)
Under the state's traditional political math, Milwaukee and Dane -- Wisconsin's two Democratic strongholds -- are counterbalanced by the populous Republican suburbs surrounding Milwaukee. The rest of the state typically delivers the decisive margin in statewide races. The Supreme Court results blew up that model. Dane County alone is now so dominant that it overwhelms the Milwaukee suburbs (which have begun trending leftward anyway). In effect, Dane has become a Republican-killing Death Star."This is a really big deal," said Mark Graul, a Republican strategist who ran George W. Bush's 2004 reelection campaign in Wisconsin. "What Democrats are doing in Dane County is truly making it impossible for Republicans to win a statewide race."Photo illustration of red and blue bubbles with people at voting booths.In isolation, it's a worrisome development for Republicans. Unfortunately for the larger GOP, it's not happening in isolation.In state after state, fast-growing, traditionally liberal college counties like Dane are flexing their muscles, generating higher turnout and ever greater Democratic margins. They've already played a pivotal role in turning several red states blue -- and they could play an equally decisive role in key swing states next year.
Posted by Orrin Judd at July 21, 2023 12:00 AM