“Donald Trump was undeniably on the ballot in a number of races, because he’s trying to divide America. People are so sick of these Twitter tirades,” DNC Chairman Tom Perez said Wednesday. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images DNC chair on election wins: 'Trump was undeniably on the ballot'

Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez said Wednesday that victorious Democrats nationwide have President Donald Trump to thank, at least in part, for the Election Night wave that helped carry them into office.

“Donald Trump was undeniably on the ballot in a number of races, because he’s trying to divide America. People are so sick of these Twitter tirades,” Perez said Wednesday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “They want leaders they can be proud of. And that's why people like Phil Murphy and Ralph Northam were able to win, because they’re sane. They're people who are speaking to the issues that people care about. They actually care about facts.”


Northam’s win in the Virginia governor’s race was the highest profile of the evening, capping a hotly contested election against Republican Ed Gillespie, who sought to distance himself personally from Trump while embracing the types of culture-war issues, like Confederate statues and national anthem protests, that Trump has pulled into the spotlight.

Murphy’s win in New Jersey’s gubernatorial contest was expected, but nonetheless brings to a close the controversial tenure of Gov. Chris Christie, once a popular blue-state Republican whose approval ratings and presidential candidacy sank in part to the scandal surrounding the politically-motivated closure of lanes on the George Washington Bridge between New Jersey and New York.

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But Perez noted smaller-scale wins for Democrats, including two seats in Georgia’s state legislature that strips Republicans of the supermajority needed for changes to the state constitution, as well as wins for Latina and transgender candidates in Virginia’s state legislature.

Organization and strong candidates in races up and down the ballot, Perez said, was the key to Democrats’ victories on Tuesday, bolstering the party’s defenses against attacks and “false news.”

“When we organize, when we make those relationships, when we're running candidates, then when the false news comes out, if you've organized and built those relationships with people, that false news doesn't penetrate,” Perez said. “You saw the ads in Virginia and elsewhere. Those ads — that dog didn't hunt.”