What WY can learn from the 2020 Election

Elections are an opportunity to learn about our fellow citizens.  By seeing how they voted, we can see what arguments are effective, learn about changes in our communities, and hopefully, gain some information that helps us better understand how we all think.  Looking at the 2020 election from the perspective of Wyoming, there are several lessons we can learn.
The national election results showed that – love him or hate him – President Trump is speaking to a section of society that previously felt ignored.  After four years of opposition and criticism, President Trump overperformed expectations, even if he does not return to office.  Pundits predicted a bloodbath, but vote totals showed a very close election.  Even those who oppose President Trump need to accept that his success comes from speaking to a part of America that does not feel represented.  I am not talking about white nationalists or other fringe groups that have adopted Trump and who Trump’s opponents would paint as the core of his support.  Rather, most of Trump’s support comes from ordinary people who felt that Trump would do a better job representing them than Joe Biden.  My personal belief is that Trump saw that much of America feels there is a growing divide between elites and the rest of the population.  They feel that those in power do not understand their concerns and struggles, but Trump spoke to them in a way that others had not.  It is interesting to think about what might have been if Trump’s message had been brought by a more disciplined communicator.  
The other thing the national election tells us is that the progressive vision for America does not resonate with the majority of voters – at least not yet.  Not a single Republican house member running for reelection lost their seat, while twelve Democrats did.  In a year with an uphill map on Senate elections, Republicans largely held the line and, depending on the upcoming Georgia races, may have retained control of the Senate.  The Presidential race came down to extremely close margins in a few key states.  In a cycle where Democrats were tied to progressives through the public prominence of Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and others, Democrats underperformed.    
Looking closer to home, the election also tells us much about Wyoming.  Wyoming went overwhelmingly for President Trump and our statewide elections for Senate and House were not competitive.  The Wyoming Democratic Party put as much effort as I can remember in recruiting candidates, raising money, and doing the type of active campaigning that most political hands say is necessary to success.  Even with this, and a national environment that most thought would be favorable to Democrats, the Wyoming Democratic Party was soundly beat.  I would have questioned whether it was possible, but Wyoming voted even more Republican in the 2020 elections.  There is an old political maxim that “all politics is local,” but I am beginning to question whether that is true.  I believe the truth may in fact be that “all politics is national.”  National attitudes and levels of partisanship appear to flow down to local races.  This explains the even greater dominance of the Republican Party in Wyoming at a time when there was already so little room to move.  
The election results also show us ways Wyoming has changed.  In years past, the string of counties along the bottom of the state had significant Democratic populations, largely fueled by unions and the railroad.  This is no more.  Sweetwater County, once a Democratic stronghold, now has a registered Republicans majority and no Democrats in the state legislature.  In fact, in a race where no Republican filed, Sweetwater County elected a Libertarian to office rather than return a longtime Democratic state representative.  This was the first Libertarian to be elected a state legislature anywhere in the country since 2002.  Even Laramie County, with its reputation as a Democratic friendly population, showed significant changes.  There is not a single Democrat elected to a partisan office in Laramie County.  None of its countywide elected officials, none of its ten representatives, and none of its five state senators are Democrats, despite what I believe to be their best candidate recruiting, fundraising, and campaign cycle I have seen in my time here.  For those conservatives around the state who viewed Cheyenne with suspicion, this election shows that Cheyenne is just as conservative as everywhere else. 
This brief window into our national and local attitudes gives us the chance to examine our political choices.  Are our messengers the best ones to advance our cause?  Should local candidates act differently given the impact of national politics?  How are national attitudes impacting our lives?  We in Wyoming should look carefully at these election results and think about what they mean for us.