Payam Javan: CNN host Jake Tapper expressed astonishment Tuesday night that Democrats had successfully framed Republicans as responsible for the ongoing government shutdown, despite Democrats’ repeated refusal to support a continuing resolution in Congress. During CNN’s Election Night in America coverage, Tapper discussed exit polls from Virginia’s gubernatorial race, where former Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger defeated Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle Sears.

Exit polls showed strong support for Spanberger among federal workers, with 61% of them casting ballots in her favor. CNN’s Dana Bash noted that roughly 150,000 federal employees in Virginia were affected by the shutdown, yet many still voted Democratic despite missing paychecks for a month. Bash cited long-standing historical trends indicating that government shutdowns tend to politically damage Republicans, regardless of the underlying legislative dynamics.

Tapper and co-hosts Dana Bash and Kasie Hunt debated the effectiveness of Democratic messaging during the shutdown, which was triggered by a Democratic filibuster of the continuing resolution in the U.S. Senate. Tapper acknowledged that Democrats had “sharper messaging than I’ve seen … in a long time,” managing to convince both Democratic and independent voters that Republicans were at fault — even though, as he pointed out, the legislative reality suggested otherwise.

The shutdown, now approaching its fifth week, stems from Democrats’ insistence on a spending package exceeding $1 trillion, including extended Obamacare subsidies and the restoration of public broadcasting funds cut earlier this year. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer reportedly told Punchbowl News that “every day gets better for us” as the standoff continues. Democrats have now blocked the continuing resolution 14 times, prolonging the fiscal impasse that has left hundreds of thousands of federal employees unpaid.