Inflation and cost of living were the top national issues, and they were national. Governors of both parties were popular and did well promoting their own economic progress and policies. But voters did expect candidates for the House and Senate to address the spiking inflation and cost of living. They […] Read more »
Humility Beat Hubris (For Now)
On November 8th, humility beat hubris. The election was not a triumph for professionals of either party who, with a few exceptions, didn’t see it coming. It is hard to claim credit for something you didn’t see. Meanwhile, voters, who generally lack hubris, quietly took a stand, particularly those in […] Read more »
While Democrats may have bucked the national trend, Republicans still hold a large sway in GOP-led states
In Democratic-leaning and swing states, voters last week delivered an unmistakable cry of resistance to the restrictive Republican social agenda symbolized by the drive to ban abortion. But in red states where Republicans have actually imposed that agenda over the past two years, GOP governors cruised to reelection without any […] Read more »
For 2024 answers, look to voters who “somewhat disapprove” of Biden
A lot of elements went into Tuesday’s unexpectedly good night for Democrats, but one of the biggest factors was a set of voters who surprisingly came through for the party: Voters who “somewhat disapprove” of President Joe Biden’s job performance. There aren’t a lot of those voters, but in the […] Read more »
How Joe Biden and the Democratic Party defied midterm history
… Midterms are supposed to be the time for the opposition party to shine. That should especially be the case when there is once-in-a-generation inflation and when the vast majority of Americans think the country is on the wrong track. Instead, Biden and the Democrats are in a position to […] Read more »
Why were the midterm elections close? Exit polls offer clues.
A set of countervailing political forces may have contributed to the closeness of this year’s midterm elections, according to the current results of the national exit poll conducted for CNN and other news networks by Edison Research. It remains uncertain which party will control either the Senate or the House […] Read more »