Democrats’ Down-Ballot Risk

Morning Line: “Conservative outside groups, meanwhile, continue to make a strong push into state-legislative efforts. The New Yorker chronicles how they have figured out where even small amounts of money can go a long way at the state level. Environmental and industrial deregulation are now the norm in West Virginia, where Americans for Prosperity recently and quietly formed a state chapter. Democrats don’t have anything like it. California billionaire Tom Steyer is spending big to elect gubernatorial and congressional candidates committed to fighting climate change, but liberal donors of his stature aren’t drilling down into the states and trying to influence legislative races (that we’ve seen) the way conservatives have for a decade.”

“For as much as Obama’s organization has blown out national politics, Republicans have a big advantage at the more granular state level right now — and unless Democrats do something about it in the next five years, they could be out of power in the House for another decade as the next wave of redistricting begins. Of course, Democrats feel they have an advantage at the governors’ level this year.”