Bush Made Willie Horton an Issue in 1988, and the Racial Scars Are Still Fresh

The tributes to former President George Bush in recent days have focused on his essential decency and civility, and his embrace of others, including even his onetime opponents. But the “last gentleman,” as he has been called, was not always so gentle. Mr. Bush’s successful campaign for the presidency in […] Read more »

In Mississippi Senate Race, the Suburbs Won’t Save Democrat Mike Espy

Democrats swept back control of the U.S. House this month due to dominance in suburban districts. But in Mississippi’s U.S. Senate runoff Tuesday, Republicans have two big advantages. Not only is Mississippi one of the country’s least suburban states, it’s also sharply divided by one of the few factors that […] Read more »

Across South, Democrats Risk Speaking Boldly and Alienating Rural White Voters

When Mike Espy, the Democrat challenging Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, faced his opponent at a debate ahead of this Tuesday’s runoff election, he had to make a choice: confront Ms. Hyde-Smith over her comments about attending “a public hanging,” which evoked the state’s racist history, or take a milder […] Read more »

Pollsters, Civil Rights and Civic Engagement Organizations Analyze The American Election Eve Poll

This election, allied organizations across the progressive movement launched the American Election Eve Poll examining how African American, Asian American and Pacific Islander, Latino, Native American and White voters engaged in the 2018 midterm elections. … The American Election Eve Poll: Examined how African American, Asian American & Pacific Islander, […] Read more »

Trump-Driven Polarization Reflects Divergent Views of America’s Future

Days before the 2018 midterm elections, a wide-ranging new survey from PRRI finds that partisans see two entirely different American futures. The survey shows Republicans’ vision for the country’s future is increasingly distant from the vision largely shared by Democrats and independents. And in the religious landscape, white evangelicals’ vision […] Read more »

Two Americas, only 30 miles apart

As the US mid-term elections approach, the real divide when it comes to values and voting is between rural and urban America. And whether it’s their views on race, guns or Donald Trump, people in these places might as well be living on different planets. As part of the BBC’s Ask […] Read more »