Last night’s election results, particularly in Virginia, should be a wake up call for California Democrats that voters are concerned about the major problems facing the Golden State. Our guess is that they will continue to press forward with California Socialism but at their own risk. We think that, as was the case in key 2020 California Congressional races, the 2022 red wave is coming.

Pundits crowed that Virginia was a deep blue state, immune to the GOP message. After all, voters had not elected a Republican statewide since 2009. Joe Biden carried the Commonwealth last year by 10 points. The suburbs were trending blue over the last decade.

But yesterday, Republicans swept: Glenn Youngkin became Governor-elect, while Winsome Sears will be Virginia’s first Black woman Lieutenant Governor and Jason Miyares Virginia’s first Latino Attorney General. In New Jersey, a state Biden carried by 16 points, the governor’s race is still too close to call, and the Democrat Senate President, the longest-tenured in state history, is trailing a truck driver who spent $153 on his race.

Candidates matter, as do the issues they run on. And if the Virginia exit polls asking voters for their most import issue were to translate to California voters, Democrats should be worried.

• Economy/Jobs (33%): If this were a top concern for California voters, Democrats will have to answer for why California has the highest unemployment rate in the nation. Nearly 20,000 businesses closed last year, and we rank 42^nd  for states recovering jobs lost in the pandemic. On top of that, the state’s unemployment department has handed out $20 billion in fraudulent claims, while they still have a backlog of nearly 140,000 out-of-work Californians waiting for help.
• Education (24%): If this were a top concern for California voters, Democrats will have to answer for why they bowed to teachers’ unions and kept schools closed during the pandemic longer than any other state. We are still learning just how far our students – particularly Black and Latino students – have fallen behind.
• Taxes (15%): If this were a top concern for California voters, Democrats will have to answer for why California has the highest taxes in the nation and why they raised the gas tax again last summer. High taxes contribute to why so many California residents and  businesses move to more economically-friendly states.

Republican wins last night were not limited to Virginia, Ohio,  Pennsylvania and  Texas, among other states. Right here in California, Republican Laura Lothian flipped a La Mesa City Council seat that was previously held by Democrat Akilah Weber!