Dems Should Be Buoyed By Georgia / S. Carolina Results

I'm sure there are many Democrats disappointed by the results in the 6th Congressional District of Georgia. They had hoped to pull off a miraculous victory, and the political polls had them thinking it could be done. But the Democratic candidate fell short, and that district returned a Republican to Congress.

But this is not a time for Republicans to celebrate, and it's not a time for Democrats to feel down and give up. Let's recap what has happened in the four House special elections this year. Yes, the Democrats lost all four of them -- but they came much closer in all of them than anyone had expected.

In Kansas, the Democrats cut a 31.1 point margin for the Republicans in 2016 down to only 6.8 points.

In Montana, the Democrats cut a 15.8 point margin for Republicans in 2016 down to only 6.1 points.

In South Carolina, the Democrats cut a 20.5 point margin for Republicans in 2016 down to only 3.2 points.

In Georgia, the Democrats cut a 23.4 point margin for Republicans in 2016 down to only 5.2 points.

And remember, these were supposed to be "safe" districts for Republicans -- districts in which they traditionally won with large double-digit margins. Those large double-digit margins disappeared, and those "safe" seats all turned out to be competitive.

This should scare the hell out of Republicans, and it should energize Democrats across the nation. There are dozens of Republicans currently occupying purple seats -- seats they won by a much smaller margin in 2016. If the Democrats do as well in those purple districts as they did in these four bright red districts, then they could win a whole lot of them in 2018 -- and possibly even take over the majority in the House of Representatives.

Take heart Democrats -- the tide of public opinion is turning your way.