I was recently moderating several nights of focus groups in Denver when the subject of marijuana suddenly and unexpectedly broke into the conversation. At the beginning of each group I asked respondents to introduce themselves, stating their favorite hobbies or leisure time interests, and one thing they would change about […] Read more »
Are Some Senate Democrats Too Likable to Vote Out?
Republicans are counting on a favorable environment and target-rich map to carry them to a Senate majority in 2015. But standing between them and victory are a slew of Democratic incumbents who, while vulnerable, have one important advantage: People like them. There’s no better example than in New Hampshire, home […] Read more »
What FL-13 Could Mean For Democrats
Democrats haven’t had a week this bad since 2010 and its only Wednesday. While the headlines are focused on Democrats losing the special election in Florida’s 13th Congressional district, even worse news came in the form of an NBC News/Wall Street Journal national poll released last night, along with four […] Read more »
Margin of Error: Political Pollsters Still Don’t Know What They’re Doing
Few polls have signaled Democratic peril this year quite like those in Colorado, the purple state that twice helped push Barack Obama into the White House. Just look at Quinnipiac’s surveys throughout 2013. They’ve found Obama’s public approval in Colorado ranging from the low 40s to the mid 30s; formerly […] Read more »
Colorado Is America, Writ Small
For a microcosm of the forces destabilizing American politics, it’s tough to beat Colorado. Here the Democratic Party has seized the advantage behind favorable demographic and cultural currents, yet in power is struggling to maintain the public’s trust. Meanwhile, a ferocious backlash to the Democratic agenda among predominantly white conservatives, […] Read more »
What Can the Colorado Recall Tell Us About 2014?
Last week, Republicans successfully recalled two sitting Democratic state legislators who supported gun control legislation, including one from a district that gave Obama almost 60 percent of the vote. In the aftermath of this surprising outcome, many Democrats blamed “voter suppression,” arguing that an inability to vote by mail disenfranchised […] Read more »