How the 2022 Midterms Became a Squeaker

… How the midterms turned out so improbably was, in many ways, a function of forces beyond Democrats’ control. A Supreme Court decision that stripped away a half-century of abortion rights galvanized their base. A polarizing, unpopular and ever-present former president, Donald J. Trump, provided the type of ready-made foil […] Read more »

Where the NBC News poll got things right: ‘We have really strong tools to explain’ what happened

As Tuesday’s first results trickled in, Republicans saw their hopes for a red wave vanish, in what was a surprise to many onlookers — but not for the pollsters we work with at NBC News. Bill McInturff, co-founder of Public Opinion Strategies, Jeff Horwitt, senior vice president at Hart Research, […] Read more »

How Abortion Boosted Democratic Candidates in Tuesday’s Midterm Election

While inflation was clearly at the top of voters’ minds in this year’s midterm elections, the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade played a significant role in motivating key voting blocs that likely contributed to the Democratic party’s stronger-than-expected performance, a new analysis of KFF’s supplemental questions on the […] Read more »

It wasn’t just “the economy stupid”—it was abortion

… Inflation is unpopular with both parties—there is no pro-inflation and anti-inflation party. In fact, if we’ve learned anything about politics in our polarized time it’s that voters see almost all issues through their partisan lens. Democrats worried about inflation could think that Joe Biden was dealing with it and […] Read more »