Post-elections...

postage meter indicia.

1.  Yeah, yeah, Virginia, but that isn't a surprise.  The pace of suburbanization along with some legal end to gerrymandering, meant that the Republicans could no longer maintain their hold on the legislature ("Virginia's new blue wave: A portrait of things to come — or things left undone?, Salon)

And yes, the Republican brand is toxic ("In Virginia, Republicans confront a fearful electoral future," Washington Post).

2.  President Trump campaigned for the Republican candidates for Governor in Kentucky and Louisana, and both lost.

I didn't think the election result for Kentucky was earth shattering in terms of figuring out Democrats and Republicans and the 2020 election because the Republican Governor incumbent, Matt Bevin, was so toxic, and despite that Democrat Andy Beshear barely eked it out, even though he was Attorney General and son of a popular former Governor ("Kentucky Governor Race: Matt Bevin Concedes to Andy Beshear," New York Times).

But the Louisiana Governor result is more significant ("With Louisiana Vote, a Governor and State Chart Their Own Path," NYT) because he won by a couple percentage points, 40,000+ votes, so it's worth projecting from a little ("Back-to-back losses in key governors’ races send additional warning to Trump and GOP ahead of 2020," Washington Post) but not too much maybe ("WHY JOHN BEL EDWARDS WINS," First Things).

3.  But because of the way that the runoff system works in Louisiana, which usually works against Democrats such as former Senator Mary Landrieu ("Mary Landrieu Is Defeated by Bill Cassidy in Louisiana," NYT), it is worth paying attention to, the continued shift of suburbs to the Democratic column ("Pennsylvania suburbs revolt against Trump," POLITICO), and the importance of the African-American vote.

4. A Working Families Party candidate won one of the two City Council at large positions allocated to "the minority party" in Philadelphia. ("Kendra Brooks captures a Philadelphia City Council seat in a historic win for the Working Families Party and Philly progressives," Philadelphia Inquirer). Whereas in DC, Democrats get away with terming themselves independents and running for those seats, that hasn't been the case in Philadelphia, where Republicans consistently held the two minority seats.

This is comparable to how Justice Democrats figured out that certain very reliable Democratic Party seats in Congress were amenable to a hardcore progressive candidate like Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez ("Safe Districts Exist To Produce Insurgents Like AOC," New York Magazine).

5. Kshama Sawant ended up fending off the Amazon-business backed opponent in her District 3 Council Race in Seattle. People thought she was toast (and I didn't think she could pull it out either) after the initial results put her behind, but with each succeeding wave of vote counting, she gained ground. This may mean that a "head tax" on business will move forward ("Amazon Cash Fails to Oust Seattle Socialist Kshama Sawant," The Nation).

6. New York City approved rank choice voting for local elections ("What to know about ranked-choice voting in NYC," amNY). This is important in cities dominated by one particular party, where the primary race is the most significant election event, where many candidates vie but only one wins. RCV may allow a greater diversity of candidates to get through the typical "first past the post" method.

Maine approved RCV in 2016.  Pierce County, Washington did in 2006, but after two iterations, they reversed the decision in 2009 ("What Really Happened With Instant Runoff Voting in Pierce County, Washington?," Sightline Institute).

7. Chesa Boudin, son of 1960s radicals, was elected to the District Attorney position in San Francisco, another element of the wave of progressives aiming to re-articulate what "law and order" means in the context of law and justice ("Son of jailed radicals, reviled by the police union. Now, Chesa Boudin is San Francisco's top cop," Guardian).

It will be interesting to see how this trend works out ("Progressive DAs are shaking up the criminal justice system," NBC News). Traditional law and order forces, especially police unions, are tough forces to counter ("A Sad Last Gasp Against Criminal Justice Reform<" New York Times).