America remains a deeply divided country during a period of turmoil and political instability. Events since last year’s bitterly fought and close Presidential election have only increased this polarization. Historical patterns suggest that the Republicans are well positioned to do well in the upcoming midterm elections. With only two exceptions […] Read more »
In Democratic contests, the moderates strike back
When New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shocked the political world by unseating a 10-term incumbent in a Democratic primary in 2018, some analysts believed the victory might foreshadow a party shift to progressivism. But three years later, the evidence for the great turn leftward is scant. In fact, looking at […] Read more »
Virus surge sends ripples of alarm through Democrats
The resurgence of the coronavirus has reshaped the early contours of the midterm elections, with some Democrats beginning to distance themselves from the Biden administration and more directly blame Republicans, reflecting their growing alarm on an issue that long played to their political advantage. Democrats had hoped to pivot from […] Read more »
Does Biden Understand Contemporary Politics?
With rare exceptions, Joe Biden throughout his presidency has stressed his determination to cooperate with the GOP whenever possible and has minimized his personal confrontations with Republican leaders on both the national and state levels. That strategy has yielded the tangible benefit of the big bipartisan infrastructure bill now marching […] Read more »
Redistricting in America, Part Three: The Republicans’ Southern Prizes
Key Points• Democrats tried but failed to get a seat at the redistricting table in four large Southern states in the 2018 and 2020 cycles: Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas.• The consequences for redistricting are vitally important. It’s easy to imagine Republicans squeezing a half-dozen extra seats out of […] Read more »
Latinos are not a lock for Democrats. Here’s why.
For years, high-ranking Republicans believed that Democrats had them backed into a demographic corner: The Latino electorate would continue to grow, providing Democrats with more votes and permanently squeezing Republicans out of power. Donald Trump has, for the moment, proved that theory wrong. Overall, Trump won 38 percent of the […] Read more »