A Blue Wave You Haven't Heard About

Unless you’re a serious political junkie, you’ve probably never heard of Faith Winter.

But the 38-year-old candidate for the Colorado State Senate is running for a seat that has attracted intense focus — and spending — from both parties. That’s because if she wins, and other seats hold, control of the state legislature flips to the Democrats.

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Besides Colorado, there are a half-dozen states where Democrats are a few seats away from winning control of the state senate:

• One seat away in New York, Maine and Minnesota.

• Two seats away in Wisconsin.

• Three away in Arizona and New Hampshire.

“For state legislatures, it’s the number one race in the country,” Ms. Winter told me in a phone interview this week. “In Colorado, in order to flip the Senate, it’s just my seat that we have win.”

“So, no pressure,” she added, with a laugh.

There has been lots of talk about the “blue wave” that could break over Congress, turning over control of the House to Democrats. But in some states, that wave could end up looking more like a flood.

While these races don’t have the flash and cash of a Senate or governor’s election, they matter a ton. Think about it: If the Supreme Court rules to undercut Roe v. Wade or the health care law, decisions on those policies goes to the states.


https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/12/us/politics/on-politics-state-senate-blue-wave.html