In the aftermath of Donald Trump’s 2016 election victory, analysts fiercely debated the role of the approximately six million voters who supported President Barack Obama in 2012 but shifted their support to Mr. Trump in 2016. Democratic strategists also had to worry about their future behavior: Was 2016 a temporary […] Read more »
They Voted Democratic. Now They Support Trump.
Midterm victories in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin gave Democrats hope of retaking the Rust Belt battleground states that handed the presidency to Donald J. Trump in 2016. Yet success in the midterms might not mean as much for Democratic presidential candidates as the party might think. Nearly two-thirds of voters […] Read more »
Medicare for All a Vote Loser in 2018 U.S. House Elections
“Medicare for All” has emerged as a key issue in the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination campaign. Two of the leading candidates, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), have made Medicare for All a central issue in their campaigns. … But 2020 is not the first election in which […] Read more »
Republicans need to study the lessons of 2018 and 2019 before racing to 2020
Whenever there is a special election or an off-year one, you can count on both parties to react in a familiar fashion. They focus on the bright spots and dismiss losses by telling us, “Don’t read too much into it.” Last Tuesday’s elections were a mixed bag for Republicans with […] Read more »
The re-emergence of Kavanaugh controversy could hurt Democrats’ Senate chances in 2020
The re-emergence of the controversy surrounding Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court has put Democrats in a challenging political position. Last year, amid allegations of sexual misconduct that Kavanaugh denied, the vast majority of Senate Democrats voted against his confirmation.The Senate elections that followed suggest a cautionary tale for […] Read more »
Moderate Democrats Fared Best in 2018. One Gets Another Chance Today.
… As Democrats mull what kind of candidate has the best chance against President Trump, it may be worth considering which candidates fared best in last year’s midterm elections. Over all, moderate Democrats who disavowed Ms. Pelosi and Medicare for all fared better than those to the left of them, […] Read more »