Dem Senator: Big loser in Tuesday election was intolerance

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said Wednesday that President Trump’s policies and rhetoric prompted sweeping Democratic victories in state and local elections on Tuesday. 

“I think last night the big loser was intolerance. We saw that in the overwhelming numbers in New Jersey and Virginia. We saw it in cities and towns all across the country. The middle was basically rejecting this era of intolerance, which has opened up,” Markey said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Sen. Markey on election results: The big loser last night was intolerance https://t.co/dqGZgxeLVf https://t.co/7OXXQYw7Y6

— The Situation Room (@CNNSitRoom) November 8, 2017

Democrats won convincing victories Tuesday in elections for governor in New Jersey and Virginia and cut into Republican majorities in state legislatures across the country.

{mosads}Markey said Wednesday that the results are a response to Republican efforts to take away health care from voters and provide tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

“Trump won. He was on probation, however, with a lot of those voters who did vote for change but not for this kind of change,” he said. “And I think last night the bill came due, and we saw it in race after race all across the country.”

Looking ahead, Markey said Democrats must continue to fight “extremist policies” proposed by Republicans and be ready to present their own plans to create jobs and protect the environment.