The Beltway hosted a dueling set of Republican conferences this past weekend, which perfectly highlighted the party’s struggles: the Conservative Political Action Conference, taken over by former President Trump; versus Principles First, put on by center-right and never-Trump organizations. Trump triumphantly declared his takeover of the party complete, saying things […] Read more »
This is the dynamic that could decide the 2024 GOP race
The same fundamental dynamic that decided the 2016 Republican presidential primaries is already resurfacing as the 2024 contest takes shape. As in 2016, early polls of next year’s contest show the Republican electorate is again sharply dividing about former President Donald Trump along lines of education. In both state and […] Read more »
Supreme Court’s student debt decision could affect millions of swing state voters
The Supreme Court heard arguments this week on the Biden administration’s plan to provide student debt relief and called into question the survival of a proposal that has far-reaching impacts. The executive action, which the administration announced in August before the 2022 fall election (in part to fire up younger […] Read more »
Why Trump is a clear favorite for the 2024 GOP nomination
… Trump is a clear, though not prohibitive, favorite to win next year’s Republican nomination for president. Right now, he’s averaging about 44% in the national primary polls. He’s 15 points ahead of DeSantis who is at 29%. A 15-point lead may not seem impressive at this early stage of […] Read more »
Winning at the Rules Game
… In the gauzy, “West Wing” TV version of politics, campaigns are won with compelling speeches, dazzling debate performances and perfectly crafted campaign ads. In reality, campaigns are won on grit, endurance and attention to detail. And luck. To win the nomination for president, a campaign must be able to […] Read more »
Will It Matter If Republican Leadership Unites Against Trump?
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Well-placed Republican insiders are mobilizing to block Donald Trump from winning the GOP presidential nomination. … Trump’s march to the 2016 GOP nomination represents the most explicit recent exception to the “party decides” theory. Trump amassed almost none of the assets that […] Read more »