In the aftermath of Glenn Youngkin’s upset victory in the Virginia governor’s race, Republicans have been scrambling to find other candidates in the image of the outsider businessman who was able to keep some distance from former President Trump. As one Youngkin adviser told National Journal, the key to swing-state […] Read more »
A Pollster’s Warning to Democrats: ‘We Have a Problem’
Brian Stryker, a Democratic pollster, didn’t work for Terry McAuliffe’s campaign in the Virginia governor’s race. But Mr. McAuliffe’s narrow defeat in a liberal-leaning state alarmed him and most every Democratic political professional. That defeat also prompted a centrist group, Third Way, to have Mr. Stryker convene focus groups to […] Read more »
So, what color is Virginia now?
Republicans swept the three statewide races in Virginia two weeks ago, including the governorship. They also won a majority in the commonwealth’s House of Delegates. Does that mean that Virginia is once again competitive, more like the toss-up states of Wisconsin or Arizona than the reliably Democratic Connecticut or even […] Read more »
Democrats’ Struggles Have Little To Do With Legislation
One might think that the thunderbolt of election results last Tuesday would convince Democrats that they have some serious problems. Apparently not. A cadre of Democrats seem to believe their losses stemmed from the internal—yet very public—party dysfunction over getting the infrastructure and reconciliation bills through Congress. Now, they hope, […] Read more »
Democrats can’t blame ‘huge bummer’ in Virginia on turnout
It seems like everybody has a theory for Glenn Youngkin’s big win in Virginia last week. Why and how did he win? Who deserves the credit or the blame for the Democrats’ losses? Many of the explanations, whether from politicians, cable news pundits, consultants or columnists, seem to reflect their […] Read more »
Election 2021 aftermath: How big was that swing?
A few brave souls have tried to argue that last Tuesday was a good night for Democrats. That’s a very difficult assertion to defend. But take the analysis much deeper and you’ll find evidence for a variety of contradictory propositions in the data from Virginia. CONTINUED Mark Mellman (Mellman Group), […] Read more »