Out of office and off the ballot, Trump’s influence still looms

The two candidates in the Virginia governor’s race are talking more about Donald Trump, the former President, than they are about Joe Biden, the White House’s current occupant. That disparity in the dialogue between Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin points toward an unusual, even unprecedented, dynamic looming over […] Read more »

Decades before Trump’s election lies, McCarthy’s anti-communist fever gripped the GOP

… Most of what Republicans espouse as a unified minority in Congress comes straight from the party’s identical platforms for 2016 and 2020. But a glaring new feature has been added to the party’s agenda at the insistence of former President Donald Trump. Its adoption among Republican candidates and officeholders […] Read more »

All politics isn’t local anymore

I’ve spent plenty of time over the past three decades reminding national political reporters and political junkies that off-year gubernatorial races don’t tell us a hell of a lot about what will happen in the next midterm election or the next presidential contest. State and local races, after all, tend […] Read more »

Fox News Poll: Schools, economy driving close Virginia governor’s race

Virginia voters give better personal ratings to Democrat Terry McAuliffe than Republican Glenn Youngkin — and that gives McAuliffe an edge over Youngkin in the Virginia governor’s race. The closeness of the contest is driven by Youngkin’s competitiveness on the economy and schools. McAuliffe’s support stands at 51 percent to […] Read more »