President Donald Trump delivered his first State of the Union address Tuesday night. Here is a look at the public opinion context for eight themes that Trump emphasized in his speech: CONT. Megan Brenan, Frank Newport & Lydia Saad, Gallup Read more »
Trump Is Making 2018 Much Harder for Republicans
Like colliding storm systems, the three central dynamics shaping the 2018 electoral battlefield converged in President Trump’s first State of the Union address on Tuesday. And control of Congress may turn on which one of these forces voters weigh most heavily. The first dynamic is the buoyant state of the […] Read more »
Why did Republicans become so opposed to immigration? Hint: It’s not because there’s more nativism.
… The Republican Party has long been the party of both business and nativists. For most of its history, the party’s business wing has reined in the nativists. But aside from a few individual industries, businesses overall are less interested in open immigration — freeing Republican members of Congress to […] Read more »
The Senate Battlegrounds to Watch
Just about everyone who follows politics closely knows that while there may well be a Democratic wave building, the Republican-friendly Senate map is an imposing bulwark that may protect the GOP against all but the biggest of tsunamis. … So which states offer the best chances for each party to […] Read more »
Democrats are in the catbird’s seat in the 2018 midterms
Congressional Democrats, benefiting from President Donald Trump’s low approval ratings and historic trends working against the party in power, sit in the catbird seat in the battle for control, according to new House and Senate ratings from CNN. The House, in which Democrats need a 24-seat pickup to win the […] Read more »
Immigration backlash is coming from places least touched by immigration
The escalating struggle between the parties over immigration rests on a paradox. In the battle for control of both Congress and the White House, Republicans rely overwhelmingly on the places in the US that remain the least touched by immigration. Democrats depend primarily on the places with the most immigrants. […] Read more »