Independents ended up voting for the Democrats by a 49-47 margin. Almost a wash. There was a huge difference in how independents voted for Trump chosen candidates and non-Trump chosen candidates. Some examples – New Hampshire non-Trump Sununu 57% Trump chosen Bolduc 44%. Georgia Non-Trump Kemp 54%, Trump chosen Walker 48%, Kansas non-trump Moran 60%, Trump chosen Schmidt 40%, Ohio Non-Trump chosen DeWine 63%, Trump chosen Vance 53%. Vance won, but received 10 points less votes than non-Trumper DeWine and so it goes in states where comparisons can be made. Non-Trump chosen candidates on average received 10 points, higher percentage of the vote than Trump chosen candidates which most lost.

The moral here is voters had no problem voting for non-Trumpers but drew the line in voting for Trump chosen candidates. I’ll add Alaska where Trump enemy Murkowski defeated Trump chosen Tshibaka as did Trump enemy Kemp win handily, but Trump chosen Walker lost. I would say for independents, who the candidates were mattered quite a lot.

I’ll give you credit Rick, just being an alternative to the Democrat wasn’t enough. What mattered more was whether or not the candidate was Trump chosen. Independents even if they disliked the Democrat still wouldn’t vote for a Trump chosen candidate. Georgia is a prime example of that, 56% of all Georgians disapproved of the job Warnock did, yet reelected him over Trump chosen Walker. Independents voted for Republican Kemp for governor, a Trump enemy, but voted for Warnock over Republican chosen Walker. Interesting election. Which I think proved two things, Trump is an albatross around the Republican’s neck when it comes to winning the independent vote. 2. Trump was the biggest asset this midterm that the democrats had going for them. Especially when it came to the independent vote.

What all of this explains is Non-Trump Republican candidates for the most part won the independent vote, Trump chosen Republican candidates lost the independent vote. Which makes the Republicans fools for listening to Trump and nominating his chosen candidates if they wanted to win elections. Republicans won't win elections as long as Trump is around. That's good news for the Democrats.

It's high past time that we start electing Americans to congress and the presidency who put America first instead of their political party. For way too long we have been electing Republicans and Democrats who happen to be Americans instead of Americans who happen to be Republicans and Democrats.