Keller @ Large: Hidden winners and losers from the midterm elections
BOSTON - By now you know the headline results of Tuesday's midterm elections. But what about some "hidden" winners and losers?
LOSERS
Gubernatorial loser Geoff Diehl wasn't the only local Republican to have a tough night. The party's meager ranks in the Legislature took yet another hit, as Democrats won House seats in Essex County and down the Cape that had been held by Republicans. The GOP is now down to just 29 of 160 seats in the House, and a fit-in-a-phone-booth Senate caucus of three.
Another loser - hard line anti-crime politics. We saw the ouster of longtime Bristol County Sheriff Tom Hodgson, a Donald Trump photo-op fixture, and the election of a progressive Democrat - Rob Galibois - to succeed retiring Cape and Islands DA Michael O'Keefe.
And New Hampshire Senate candidate Don Bolduc was just one of more than 20 Republicans who claim the 2020 election was rigged to lose last night. The dozen or so who won did not question the results.
WINNERS
"I'll be a governor for everyone," vowed Governor-elect Maura Healey in her victory speech, an example of how bipartisanship was a big winner last night. Healey paid homage to Gov. Charlie Baker throughout her campaign. And in New Hampshire re-elected incumbent Sen. Maggie Hassan won in part by running away from the party line on gas taxes and other issues.
It was a good night for the teacher unions, with wins for their endorsed candidates and the promise of fresh tax revenues from the passage of Question One. Their role as Democratic power brokers was affirmed.
And with extreme screamers like Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert either beaten or pushed to the brink, moderation had a good night. In a controversial strategy Democrats helped six far-right Republicans like Bolduc win their primaries in September. All six of them lost.
For a final hidden winner, how about the much-maligned youth vote, which was expected to be a no-show given their lukewarm opinions of President Biden? Instead, they showed up, waited in line and voted in droves for the Democrats, creating some of the surprise outcomes we saw last night.
And here's a not-so-hidden loser for yet another election cycle - the pollsters, not all of them, but some who really missed the mark. In the past it's been Republican strength they've underestimated. This time it was Democratic turnout.