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The decline in ticket splitting (Senate races had a ~0.9 correlation to Presidential races this year) means voters are smarter. It reflects an increased understanding that the parties matter way more than the individual candidates.
It totally makes sense for voters to pay attention to what Democrats and Republicans in other districts are saying, and take that into account when deciding which party to vote for in their district.
It especially makes sense for them to pay attention to what Representatives in safe districts, who don't have to worry about losing a general election, are saying. It's an insight into what the parties would really want to do in the abscence of electoral constraints.
Which is a roundabout way of saying - I think it's totally rational for voters in Spanberger's or Lamb's districts to care what AOC says.
But they should also care what Marjorie Taylor Greene says.
But they should also care what Marjorie Taylor Greene says.
And while AOC was a household name before she ever even won a general election, mostly due to relentless, negative coverage from Fox News, most non-politics junkies still don't know who MTG is. This is a problem.
So I fully agree with David Shor that the Democratic party needs more consistent, disciplined messaging. But we also need to deal with the ways that the media is slanted against us. It's a tough problem to solve.
