Another Dem Pulls Off A Big Upset In State Legislative Race

3D Render of a Topographic Map of the State of Missouri, USA.All source data is in the public domain.Color texture: Made with Natural Earth. http://www.naturalearthdata.com/downloads/10m-raster-data/10m-cross-blend-hypso/Boundaries Level 1: USGS, National Map, National Boundary Data.https://viewer.nationalmap.gov/basic/#productSearchRelief texture and Rivers: SRTM data courtesy of USGS. URL of source image: https://e4ftl01.cr.usgs.gov//MODV6_Dal_D/SRTM/SRTMGL1.003/2000.02.11/Water texture: SRTM Water Body SWDB:https://dds.cr.usgs.gov/srtm/version2_1/SWBD/
3D Render of a Topographic Map of the State of Missouri, USA. All source data is in the public domain. Boundaries Level 1: USGS, National Map, National Boundary Data. https://viewer.nationalmap.gov/basic/#productSear... 3D Render of a Topographic Map of the State of Missouri, USA. All source data is in the public domain. Boundaries Level 1: USGS, National Map, National Boundary Data. https://viewer.nationalmap.gov/basic/#productSearch Relief texture and Rivers: SRTM data courtesy of USGS. URL of source image: https://e4ftl01.cr.usgs.gov//MODV6_Dal_D/SRTM/SRTMGL1.003/2000.02.11/ Water texture: SRTM Water Body SWDB: https://dds.cr.usgs.gov/srtm/version2_1/SWBD/ MORE LESS
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Democrats on Tuesday pulled off another surprising special election upset, this time capturing a Missouri statehouse seat in a deep-red district that President Donald Trump easily carried in 2016.

Democratic candidate Mike Revis defeated GOP nominee David Linton on Tuesday night by a 4-point margin in a seat Trump carried with 61 percent of the vote just over a year ago, and which former President Barack Obama lost by 12 points in 2012. That’s a major swing — and the latest time Democrats have vastly over-performed their previous numbers this year as they look toward a potential wave election in the fall.

“Representative-elect Mike Revis’s victory tonight will undoubtedly send another shockwave through the GOP as we continue to run the best candidates focused on addressing local issues and improving their neighbors’ quality of life,” Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee head Jessica Post said in a statement.

Democrats have now picked up 35 state legislative seats across the country in special elections, while Republicans have picked up just four since Trump took office. This is the latest deep-red seat that Democrats have flipped and, like the party’s recent victory in a Wisconsin state senate election, indicates how revved up the Democratic base is.

There will undoubtedly be higher overall voter turnout in the 2018 general election, making it harder for progressive base enthusiasm alone to power a major wave. But this win, as well as Democrats’ improved numbers in a trio of other Missouri special elections they lost Tuesday night in heavily Republican areas, are the latest signs that white-hot liberal enthusiasm is creating new opportunities across the country for Democratic candidates, even in areas that have moved hard against their party in recent years.

That’s good news for Democrats across the country — including those staring down tough reelection fights, like Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO).

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