I think we can all agree that one great thing has been accomplished with the conclusion of this midterm election. We can all rejoice in knowing we no longer have to endure those mean-spirited Marsha Blackburn/ Phil Bredesen TV ads.

Tuesday's election saw the Democrats get absolutely trounced in Tennessee, particularly in our neck of the woods. Here are a few of my thoughts in the aftermath.

One-party system hurts: Outside of the big cities of Nashville and Memphis, you're not going to win in Tennessee unless you're a Republican. The state is all red.

I'll go so far as to be the first and call the 2020 presidential election right now and declare Tennessee and its 11 Electoral College votes going to Donald Trump. There's no way a Democrat wins here in this climate.

To me that hurts us as a state because it makes our elected officials less accountable. They know the only remote chance they have of losing is from a challenge in their own party, not from a Democrat.

From the races we voted on, Bill Lee won in a landslide for governor. Blackburn coasted to a seat in the U.S. Senate. Scott DesJarlais easily returned to the U.S. House, while Rush Bricken and Paul Sherrell won handily for Tennessee House.

Of those five winning candidates, all Republican, I'd say two were the better person for the job. Two were not. The other race I'd rank as a toss-up. If we're looking to put the best and brightest into office, voting for Republicans, and only Republicans, is not the way to do it.

QUIET city RACE: I had a hard time reminding myself we had a McMinnville city election on the ballot. The seven alderman candidates running were library quiet.

I'm not complaining. Some people probably loved it. I'm simply making an observation.

The election in August was a stark contrast, with county candidates offering a very large presence at community events, at early voting, and even coming to my home to chat. The candidates for McMinnville alderman offered a more hands-off approach to campaigning.

No local love: Perhaps I'm the only person in the county who thinks this way, but I'd like to have a Warren County resident representing us in Nashville. Yet another election has come and gone and our two representatives in the Tennessee House are from Sparta and Tullahoma.

I'm sure these fine men will tell us they're looking out for Warren County every chance they get, but when it comes to crunch time I bet they're looking out for Sparta and Tullahoma. That's just my guess.

Particularly noteworthy to me is Warren County had a well-spoken and likable candidate on the ballot in our own Les Trotman. But he lost by 1,446 votes in his home county.

The Advanced Robotics Center now under construction near Motlow is a direct result of Warren County resident Kevin Dunlap's work when he was in the Tennessee House. If we want more $5 million state projects like that, we need to put more local residents in Nashville.

Standard editor James Clark can be reached at 473-2191.