Consultants are trained by experience, and by mentors, to go negative. There are few more powerful norms among political professionals. When in trouble, when in doubt — whenever, really — attack. … But going negative can be the wrong move. Witness Donna Edwards’s Maryland Senate campaign. CONT. Mark Mellman (Mellman […] Read more »
Insults and Ads: How Gender Hurts Trump but Doesn’t Lift Clinton
Donald Trump thinks Hillary Clinton is playing “the women’s card.” But evidence suggests that if anything is making gender a potent issue in this campaign, it’s Mr. Trump’s words, not Mrs. Clinton’s. How do we know? New data on the emotional engagement and effectiveness of different campaign messages suggests that […] Read more »
How to Win an Election
Political strategist Mark McKinnon explains how candidates use the art of storytelling to help swing elections. Read more »
Clinton vs. Trump — a tough battle
… Mercury Analytics, a technology-driven consumer research and political polling firm based in Washington, D.C. conducted a survey and ad “dial-test” of Trump’s first campaign spot among a national sample of n=916 “likely voters”. The results show, that if the election were held today, between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, […] Read more »
Americans’ Faith in Honesty, Ethics of Police Rebounds
After dipping to 48% in 2014 amid a national firestorm over police treatment of young black men, the rating Americans give the honesty and ethical standards of police has rebounded to 56%. This is more consistent with the 54% to 58% ratings Gallup found between 2010 and 2013. CONT. Lydia […] Read more »
In Five Points, the State of the 2016 Primary Races
In a fascinating (and, for some, frustrating) year in politics, the latest polls, including this week’s Wall Street Journal/NBC News survey, provide some telling insights into the trajectory of the 2016 presidential race. I see five key points that give us a sense of where things are going: CONT. Matthew […] Read more »