The opening two debates of what Democrats hope is the 2020 Donald Trump Demolition Derby are in the books. Ultimately, the polls and maybe the upcoming donation totals will tell us whether there were any clear winners, and whether the debate changed anything. CONT. Larry J. Sabato & Kyle Kondik, […] Read more »
Context Is Critical When Parsing Biden’s Words
Few ardent supporters of former Vice President Joe Biden would argue with the suggestion that he chose his words poorly when discussing his ability to work with Sen. James Eastland of Mississippi and Herman Talmadge of Georgia in the context of the civility that once existed in the Senate. … […] Read more »
What to Make of the Democratic Debates
It is dangerous to read too much into any debate —especially one held more than six months before the first Democratic caucus in Iowa. Even so, these first two Democratic debates are instructive. First, they give us a benchmark for evaluating these candidates over time: Who wears well and who […] Read more »
There Are Really Two Distinct White Working Classes
… Marginal shifts in partisan balloting by the white working class have been a crucial determinant in the outcome of elections since 1968. This non-college white constituency — pollster shorthand for both the white working class and the white middle class without college degrees — makes up a massive bloc […] Read more »
Is Joe Biden the most electable Democrat? Maybe – but maybe not
Joe Biden’s lead in the Democratic primary field apparently rests on the three legged stool of long-standing familiarity, appreciation particularly among older African American voters as President Obama’s trusted second, and a perception that he is more electable than other Democrats. Electability is not actually a testable proposition as the […] Read more »
Telemundo Station Group’s 2019 Hispanic Opinion Poll
As the nation prepares to hear from 20 Democratic presidential candidates during the first round of presidential debates that will air this Wednesday and Thursday on NBC, MSNBC and Telemundo, the Telemundo Station Group today announced its first round of Hispanic voter opinion findings for the 2020 election cycle for […] Read more »