Who was this Year's Lesser of Two Evils?

Edited by Derek Gutierrez

To truly understand how terribly these two years has been for fans of both parties we need to look at what has been happening on the Democratic and Republican sides. Representing the conservatives:

Republican Party

Congratulations conservatives, you didn’t have to increase voter ID laws to win in 2016 because the party finally realized that the core values that they preach can be a winning message in much of the country.

You have been blessed with Donald Trump, a man who continues to have a love-hate relationship with most common conservatives in this country. He has emerged from- a walking buffoon to one of the great juggernauts and key players in the party today. Even if he’s not on the ballot it’s clear that the main thing people are focusing on when they go out to vote is him. He is the main event for better or worse.

Anyone who was a “Never Trump” Republican could say how his way of governing fits more in line with their philosophy. With his tax cuts, limiting of the EPA, and his bolder stance on the world stage, most conservatives are pleased with the way he’s running the show. Conservatives are mainly focused on North Dakota Missouri and Indiana as key states to win.

North Dakota

The massive world war that began because of the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court has left wildfires in every state of the country. One of these is North Dakota. Heidi Heitkamp is the incumbent of this race and has used her power to try and exterminate this man from existence. As a state where Trump remains popular, this can lead to a rise of a new senator in the name of Kevin Cramer, a cookie cutter conservative that will appeal to the Kavanaugh fan base in the state

Result: Kevin Cramer defeated Heidi Heitkamp

Missouri

If Democrats needed any more evidence that their policies are winning in some parts of the country look no further then Missouri. A deeply red state with the 65-year-old Democratic Claire McCaskill, even if her age might deceive you she is a very liberal candidate with her vote in 2010 for the DREAM Act, an act that gives undocumented immigrants a pathway to citizenship. This is seen as heresy to Republicans in the state such as

Josh Hawley, her challenger in this race. His greatest shortcoming is his lack of experience, but that hasn’t stopped the man from defeating 10 other politicians in the Senate Primaries. If Hawley’s dream is achieved he will be the youngest member of the current Senate.

Result:Josh Hawley defeated McCaskill

Indiana

Mike Braun the Republican businessman has a lot of potentials. Due to Mike Pence’s home state being Indiana. This can lead to a blowout if people are receptive to the things Pence has done. The incumbent is Joe Donnelly, a man who has worked along side Republicans for years when it comes to certain issues. Many can see this as equivalent to the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact and push for a more hardcore partisan candidate for their state.

Result:Mike Braun defeated Joe Donnelly

Democratic Party

The Democrats are the main opposition to the Republicans, what an incredibly shocking turn of events. Let me put on my stunned face, yay.

Everyone could have seen the Democrats being the major challenger in this race. It has been a bit rockier than the idea of a perfect couple of years for this party but they’ve made it here regardless. Even with demographics of millennials moving away from the party in droves, they continue to debate like it’s their last stand.

If millennials wanted another reason to hate the two-party system that we have in this country then look no further than the 2016 election. A golden opportunity to push a progressive candidate like Bernie Sanders was ruined and all of their dreams of a blue wave were crushed as they released a mob of toxic MAGA loving Trump supporters to the countryside. The main races people should focus on are Arizona, Texas, and Kentucky.

· Arizona

The tragedy in John McCain’s death has left a hole in the heart of Arizona. People are now looking for a new face. Look no further than Martha McSallly, representing the Republicans and Kyrsten Sinema, representing the Democrats. This race is built on immigration and how we want to see the future of McCain’s state.

Result: Martha McSally defeated Sinema

Texas

The shifting demographics in this once hard red state have pulled the Republicans into panic mode. The walking Zodiac Killer known as Ted Cruz is trying his hardest to maintain his base while the problems with the southern border and devastating hurricane have led Beto O'Rourke, his opponent, to the center stage and a worthy challenger to battle for The Lone Star State.

Result: The Zodiac Killer murdered Beto O’ Rourke

Kentucky

Andy Barr, current Republican incumbent could’ve never guessed that his opponent would be a Former Marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath. This at first glance seems like a cake walk, but certain character traits such as service to our country really do hit home in this state. This can give McGrath the boost she needs to catch up in this race. Mcgrath will still have to fight an uphill battle if she wants the job.

Result: Andy Barr defeated McGrath

What Comes Next?

Trevor Noah said it best when he said: “The Blue Wave Looked More Like a Smurf ‘Peeing’”. The democrats despite this will use the gains they made in the house as a confidence boost and a way to push their radical policies into overdrive.

The Washington Post will continue to talk about how this is the “Year of Women”, if Democrats continue to hold the belief that the only reason why they won certain elections was because they had a woman as the candidate then they have learned absolutely nothing from the 2016 election. The reason why Republican and Democratic women won was due to them being superior candidates to their opponent, not based on gender.

Now that this election is over all eyes are on 2020. Trump will obviously be running again as the Republican but who will be the Democratic nominee? Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, and Joe Biden are all possibilities. The problem is that truly the only person on the Democratic party who can defeat Trump is Joe Biden. Every other candidate is too liberal for most Americans, and if you look at the vast majority of Democrats who won in the midterms they were all moderates.

This party is an underdog in every sense of the word. A party that was cast off but has done everything to make it to the big time once again. Rally cries and will be dawn. Will we see Democrats happily rioting in the streets, or Democrats angrily rioting in the streets? Will this be the year that their legacy of failure is cast off, or will they be victimized by the Republicans again like in the 2016 election. Will we see a new cancerous fanbase be at the top, or will we deal with the same arrogance we have dealt for four years? Whoever wins we all lose.