The enduring unpopularity of Congress appears to have seeped into the nation’s 435 congressional districts, as a record-low percentage of registered voters, 46%, now say the U.S. representative in their own congressional district deserves re-election. Equally historic, the share of voters saying most members of Congress deserve re-election has fallen […] Read more »
Abortion attitudes are a chameleon, and Republicans are trying to adapt
… Coinciding with Wednesday’s March for Life, the Republican National Committee, meeting today in Washington, is considering a new resolution that calls for candidates to speak up about their antiabortion views and defend their support for restricting abortion in a variety of situations. … Significantly, the Republican resolution argues that […] Read more »
Parties Seize on Abortion Issues in Midterm Race
… Abortion is becoming an unexpectedly animating issue in the 2014 midterm elections. Republicans, through state ballot initiatives and legislation in Congress, are using it to stoke enthusiasm among core supporters. Democrats, mindful of how potent the subject has been in recent campaigns like last year’s governor’s race in Virginia, […] Read more »
Crazy Like a Fox?
Former Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie’s decision to challenge Democratic Sen. Mark Warner in Virginia triggered a lot of head-scratching in political circles, because Gillespie is widely seen as a very savvy guy, and Warner is perceived to be in a very strong position. “Why is Ed doing this?” […] Read more »
Despite an improving economy, Obama’s approval rating stays low
The stock market has hit sky-scraping highs, the unemployment rate has dipped to a five-year low and any number of economic statistics — new car sales, home prices, consumer spending — point to a perked-up economy that is steadily growing. But one thing that has changed little is President Obama’s […] Read more »
Independents Will Decide The 2014 Elections
Among political urban legends, one of the more persistent is “base elections”—the notion that successful campaigns can rely simply on turning out a party’s hard-core supporters. Nonsense. The party that wins independents wins Congress. Energizing core supporters is necessary but insufficient. CONT. Karl Rove Read more »