Politics with Amy Walter: What Did Democrats Get Wrong About Religious Voters in 2016?

A recent study from Pew Research found that white people who identify as Christians represent about two-thirds of all Republicans. Meanwhile, Americans unaffiliated with any religion, and racial minorities who identify as Christians, now each make up a bigger share of the Democratic coalition. This week, we take a look […] Read more »

Is Politics a War of Ideas or of Us Against Them?

Is the deepening animosity between Democrats and Republicans based on genuine differences over policy and ideology or is it a form of tribal warfare rooted in an atavistic us-versus-them mentality? Is American political conflict relatively content-free — emotionally motivated electoral competition — or is it primarily a war of ideas, […] Read more »

Democrats far more likely than Republicans to see discrimination against blacks, not whites

Americans are more than twice as likely to say there is at least some discrimination against blacks in the U.S. (77%) as they are to say this about whites (36%). But these opinions differ substantially along partisan lines: Far larger shares of Democrats than Republicans say there is a lot […] Read more »

The changing Democratic electorate could upend Iowa’s role in 2020

… In every contested Democratic nomination race in this century, the winner of the Iowa caucuses has eventually won the nomination. That’s a measure of how much momentum candidates can earn, especially in this era of pervasive news coverage, from winning that kickoff contest. Conscious of that history, the leading […] Read more »

The Legacy of Slavery

Most Americans think the legacy of slavery has at least some lasting impact on black people in the United States today, but fewer support monetary reparations for slavery or an official national apology. Adults under age 30 are the most likely to perceive a lasting impact of slavery and are […] Read more »

Trump Has No Room for Error in 2020

The risk in Donald Trump’s base-first electoral strategy is only rising—because the size of his base is shrinking. Working-class whites are on track to continue declining as a share of eligible voters in 2020, according to a study released today by the liberal think tank Center for American Progress. In […] Read more »