Democrats Flip Two More Republican State Legislature Seats

Democrats have now won 8 Republican-held seats in the Trump-era. 

While most of the political world was focused on the Republican Senate primary in Alabama, Democrats extended their gains in traditionally Republican districts.

On Tuesday, Democrats flipped two seats in state special elections in Florida and New Hampshire.

Florida

In Florida, Democrat Annette Taddeo won a Miami-area state Senate seat that was heavily contested by Republicans.

Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton won the district 58 to 40 in the 2016 presidential race.

New Hampshire

And in New Hampshire, Democrat Kari Lerner won a special state House election in a district that Donald Trump won by a wide margin.

According to WMUR, Lerner beat her opponent James Headd, who is former state Rep., by just 39 votes.

Lerner received 50.6 percent support, while her opponent received 48.4 percent.

In 2016, Trump won the district by 23 points, and Republicans have a 2-1 advantage in registrations in the district.

Democrats are making significant special election gains

The two pickups by Democrats Tuesday represent a significant trend that has developed during the Trump era. Including last night’s gains, Democrats have flipped eight Republican seats this year.

At the same time, Republicans have yet to flip a seat in 27 special elections.

Just last month, Democrats flipped two Republican-held seats in New Hampshire and Oklahoma.

The first Democratic flips took place in May when Democrats took two seats – one in New Hampshire and a state Assembly seat in New York.

[image via Safety]