… The elimination of any distance between Trump and the conventional Republican interests that controlled the party before him has happened so incrementally it can be difficult to discern from day to day. But it remains one of the central political dynamics of 2018. Over the long term, Trump’s success […] Read more »
There’s a surprising lack of good polling in this year’s key Senate races
Calling balls and strikes is difficult when you’re partially blind. That’s the situation Senate prognosticators are in when it comes to this year’s races. In the early going, there just isn’t a lot of good polling data out there to understand the playing field. Democrats need a net gain of […] Read more »
Republican Strengths Turn Out to Be Weaknesses
Republicans knew the hurdles they were facing when they looked ahead to the 2018 midterms. Off-year elections are usually arrayed against the party in power, and the party’s leaders anticipated that Donald Trump would be a problem in swing districts. They thought these hurdles would be offset, however, by their […] Read more »
Americans give Trump credit for good economy, mixed reviews on North Korea
Nearly two in three Americans think the nation’s economy is in good shape, and most of them believe President’s Trump’s policies are at least somewhat responsible for that. More Republicans rate the economy positively than do Democrats. … Americans give Mr. Trump mixed marks on his approach to negotiations and […] Read more »
Has the political climate improved, marginally, for Republicans?
It’s too early for a genuine gut check about what the midterm elections might produce in November in terms of control of Congress. Nonetheless, political strategists are debating whether there has been a recent change in the political environment that could ease fears among Republicans that a big blue wave […] Read more »
To win in 2018, Democrats must speak to party’s base
With approval ratings of 42 percent for President Trump and a dismal 18 percent for the Republican Congress, Democrats could be poised to win landslide victories in this year’s elections — from the U.S. House and Senate to governorships and state legislatures. But they’ll lose this opportunity if they don’t […] Read more »