What the data show about angry parents rocking the 2022 election

Angry parents of school-aged children were supposed to rock the gates of the establishment and send a message in the 2022 elections, at least according to the conservative narrative. “Woke” school curricula, extended COVID-19 restrictions in schools, and policies around transgender athletes were supposed to drive voters to the polls […] Read more »

The Democrats’ real problems aren’t the ones you’re hearing about

President Biden has lackluster poll numbers, and they seem stuck. Democrats can’t pass much legislation on Capitol Hill. There is wide pessimism within the party about the midterms. So a familiar blame game has begun: Message X, Person Y or Campaign Tactic Z is killing the party. The problem? Virtually […] Read more »

Is 2022 the Year of the Angry K-12 Parent?

Veteran GOP strategist Liesl Hickey has dubbed 2022 the year of the angry K-12 parent. “They are mad,” says Hickey, co-founder of the center-right group N2 America, “and they want to hold someone accountable.” … Recent polling suggests that Americans are much less worried about kids getting sick at school […] Read more »

The coronavirus debate over school closures has hurt Democrats

The battle over whether schools should be closed to in-person learning because of the coronavirus has ramped up with the Omicron surge. Schools in a number of districts in the country have either gone fully to remote learning or have delayed returning after the holidays. It has also pitted teachers’ […] Read more »

Explaining the Republican Victory in the Virginia Gubernatorial Election: Conversion or Mobilization?

Key Points• The non-presidential party often performs better in off-year elections than it did in the previous cycle’s presidential race. The recent Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races are no exception, both this year and historically.• This likely has more to do with an enthusiasm advantage generating better turnout for […] Read more »

The GOP’s fruitless search for the next Glenn Youngkin

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 »