VANCE SAYS DON’T BLAME TRUMP, BLAME …: How about “high consultant and ‘list-building fees'”? Writing in the American Conservative, the Ohio Senator-elect zeroes in on a major factor in the failure of the Red Wave to come ashore.

To illustrate, Vance points to the DeSantis and Kemp victories:

“At first blush, Ron DeSantis and Brian Kemp are similar figures: they both won close elections in 2018, and both cruised to reelection in 2022. They are both popular, effective governors from the South. But one won by over 20, and one by 8 (still an impressive margin).

“What explains this? Money. Look at the fundraising totals: Ron DeSantis outraised Charlie Crist about 7:1. Kemp was actually outraised, albeit barely, by Stacey Abrams. Money, of course, is not dispositive—Kemp won convincingly—but it has a major effect.”