Bucks County Republicans saw a red wave of positive results in the 2021 row elections — the hyper-local races to fill roles like district attorney, coroner, and registrar of wills. Two local, political reporters considered the implications on the PoliticsPA podcast.

Chris Ullery, of the Bucks County Courier Times, and David Murrell, of Philadelphia Magazine, noted that political trends are tough to forecast, especially in Bucks County, given its geographic diversity among voters.

Ullery noted that last fall, for example, amid ongoing criticism of Republicans, even Democratic strongholds underperformed.

“Republicans just get out there more,” he said, characterizing overall turnouts.

The pair also commented on the general acrimony infiltrating local school board meetings. Murrell noted warnings issued to outspoken attendees, characterizing them as “…adults in the room being told to not act like children.”

The pundits also discussed critical race theory, especially in its association with local curricula.

Despite parental fears, Ullery and Murrell concluded that it’s not a topic likely to be discussed in primary or secondary schools, given its specific, complex definition.

“It’s a legal discipline that talks about entrenched racism in the law,” Murrell explained, inferring that it is not the catchall bogeyman it has become.

In looking ahead to 2022’s midterms, Ullery predicts an unsurprising, cyclical swing away from a presidential incumbent who many feel has “not done well.”

Murrell predicts an outcome showing “a lot of energy on both sides.”

Their full comments about the red wave and other current political developments are in the PoliticsPA Podcast.