By all major political indicators, 2022 should have delivered the type of shellacking that the president’s party typically endures in midterm elections: Over 70% of voters believed the country was on the wrong track, 76% rated the economy negatively, and President Biden’s approval rating of 43% has historically resulted in […] Read more »
The most shocking Senate result: Every incumbent won
One of the most common refrains in politics is voters hate Washington and want outsiders to be elected to office. But Sen. Raphael Warnock’s victory in Georgia’s Senate runoff on Tuesday is part of a trend that suggests that, at least in 2022, that wasn’t true. Each of the 29 […] Read more »
Georgia runoff: Candidate quality meant fewer Republicans turned out for Walker
When it came down to it, some Republicans couldn’t vote for Herschel Walker. AP Photo/Brynn Anderson Andra Gillespie, Emory University Runoff elections tend to be races of attrition. Turnout will most likely be lower, as voters are less accustomed to turning out for off-cycle elections. Candidates, then, must try to […] Read more »
What the Georgia Runoff Revealed
Senator Raphael Warnock’s win in yesterday’s Georgia Senate runoff capped a commanding show of strength by Democrats in the states that decided the 2020 race for the White House—and will likely pick the winner again in 2024. With Warnock’s victory over Republican Herschel Walker, Democrats have defeated every GOP Senate […] Read more »
How Trump’s legacy became ‘pure poison’ for independents
The highly touted red wave in last month’s midterm election failed to develop largely because it hit a wall of resistance among independent voters, especially across the key battleground states. And that presents difficult questions for Republicans looking forward to 2024. The GOP’s disappointing showing among independents this year marked […] Read more »
A lot of the best political messages are really boring
One of the 2022 results that surprised me was Catherine Cortez Masto’s successful re-election in Nevada. … So how did she pull it off? I think Dobbs was clearly an important factor, as it was in many states. But a new report suggests that Cortez Masto and her campaign can […] Read more »