In a unique survey of 436 residents of Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District, majorities of Republicans and Democrats approved of a number of proposals under consideration in Congress to curb the influence of big campaign donors. The survey results were released at an online “Citizen Panel Forum” on Saturday. Congresswoman Susan […] Read more »
Democrats Beat Trump in 2020. Now They’re Asking: What Went Wrong?
Democrats emerged from the 2020 election with full control of the federal government and a pile of lingering questions. In private, party leaders and strategists have been wrestling with a quandary: Why was President Biden’s convincing victory over Donald J. Trump not accompanied by broad Democratic gains down ballot? With […] Read more »
Republicans Struggle to Derail Increasingly Popular Stimulus Package
Republicans are struggling to persuade voters to oppose President Biden’s $1.9 trillion economic rescue plan, which enjoys strong, bipartisan support nationwide even as it is moving through Congress with just Democratic backing. … More than 7 in 10 Americans now back Mr. Biden’s aid package, according to new polling from […] Read more »
The Four Concentric Circles of Voters
The current political moment reminds me of the story about the guy who had one foot in a pot of boiling water and the other foot in a bucket of ice. On average, he was quite comfortable. Indeed, in politics, we too often focus on averages—the overall numbers—which even if […] Read more »
Republicans now enjoy unmatched power in the states. It was a 40-year effort.
Over the past 40 years, Republicans have quietly gained overwhelming power in state legislatures. It did not happen overnight, and it won’t reverse itself soon. The implications could linger for years. Even after the 1980 election — when Ronald Reagan was first elected president — Democrats still controlled most statehouses: […] Read more »
The Democrats Have An Ambitious Agenda. Here’s What They Should Learn From Obamacare.
… As a political science professor studying public perceptions of the ACA, I see two core lessons for Democrats to keep in mind. First, to stop high-profile laws from becoming unpopular, it helps to keep them simple. And the ACA was anything but: It sought to increase access to health […] Read more »