In a bygone political era, the symbolic end of summer — Labor Day — denoted the unofficial start of the campaign season. In our current era, one might be tempted to say that the symbolic start of summer — Memorial Day — now represents the campaign season kickoff, though American […] Read more »
Why November’s Downballot Races Matter
As Rhodes Cook, the longtime political analyst, recently wrote in his newsletter, “The breadth of Republican dominance these days is not just impressive, it’s staggering. They control the White House, both chambers of Congress, a vast majority of governorships and an overwhelming share of state legislative chambers. In short, by […] Read more »
Half of 2020 Map Makers Will Be Decided This Cycle
More than half of the state elected officials deciding new district lines in 2020 will be elected this year, a new study by the National Conference of State Legislatures found. Three-fifths of governors and one-third of all state senators elected during the 2018 midterms will still be in office during […] Read more »
California: Cutting Through the Fog of Polls
At a time when polling in California is more muddled and uncertain than ever, there’s only one important known unknown in campaigns for statewide office following the two most recent public surveys: Who will come in second in the governor’s race in the prelim June 5 election? CONT. Calbuzz Read more »
Can Stacey Abrams Change the Way Democrats Win in the South?
Gene Talmadge must be turning over in the grave. On Tuesday, Georgia Democrats chose an African-American woman, Stacey Abrams, as their party’s candidate for governor. And not just any African-American woman. Ms. Abrams, the former minority leader in the Georgia House of Representatives, ran as an outspoken progressive and was […] Read more »
California: New poll finds a volatile race for second place in governor’s contest
The fight for second place in California’s governor’s race between Republican John Cox and Democrat Antonio Villaraigosa remains unpredictable and volatile as the June 5 primary approaches, according to a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom led both by 10 percentage points or more, validating every […] Read more »