Democrats better hope things are darkest before the dawn because they now face a series of challenges that combine to offer a bleak near-term future for their party. As I argued three weeks ago in this column space, two trends were preparing to collide in Virginia — Democrats’ growing strength […] Read more »
2021 shows Republicans shouldn’t fear high voter turnout
The Republican Party did very well on Tuesday. Beyond its win in the Virginia gubernatorial election, it came quite close to capturing the New Jersey governor’s mansion. And the GOP did it in a way that might scare some Democrats: higher voter turnout. At least in this era, Republicans don’t […] Read more »
Why Was the New Jersey Gubernatorial Race So Close?
… In New Jersey, Phil Murphy, the incumbent Democrat, beat Jack Ciattarelli, his Republican challenger, and became the first Democrat to win reëlection as the Garden State’s governor in forty-four years. But the result was much closer than expected. … On Election Night this week, the race between Murphy and […] Read more »
Democrats fear political wipeout in next year’s midterms
The results out of Virginia and New Jersey on election night, along with the rejection of progressive ideology in deep-blue jurisdictions across the country, came as a rude awakening for Democrats. While party leaders were already preparing for a difficult midterm election, the scope of Republican gains in suburbanized, Democratic-friendly […] Read more »
Polling Institute director says it may be time to get rid of election polls
Danielle Kurtzleben speaks with Patrick Murray, director of the Polling Institute at Monmouth University, about the future of election polls after their recent failures to predict results. NPR News The OPINION TODAY email newsletter is a concise daily rundown of significant new poll results and insightful analysis. It’s FREE. Sign up here: opiniontoday.substack Read more »
Youngkin’s rural voter landslide sounds alarms for Democrats
Republicans had a satisfying Election Day last week, particularly in Virginia, where Glenn Youngkin captured the governor’s mansion after former President Donald Trump lost the state by 10 points in 2020. There were a number of factors behind that big swing, but one of the biggest was the GOP’s strength […] Read more »