Republicans cite their 2.5-point defeat in the Virginia governor’s race as proof that Ken Cuccinelli would have reversed his fortunes if he’d hammered earlier and longer on Obamacare, an issue the attorney general said tightened the contest in its final days. Democrats argue Terry McAuliffe’s narrow Nov. 5 victory amid […] Read more »
The Surprisingly Dramatic Terry & Ken Show
A year ago, almost everyone who followed Virginia politics thought that Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) had the inside track to winning the governorship. … So it’s actually noteworthy that McAuliffe won by any margin. Ultimately, Cuccinelli was just too socially conservative for a moderate swing state that is trending […] Read more »
Texas: What Early Poll Results Tell Us
Some people might have been surprised by the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll results released Monday, which showed Greg Abbott leading Wendy Davis by 6 points in a two-way contest and by 5 in a three-way race — a single-digit margin for a statewide office that the Democrats haven’t claimed […] Read more »
Lessons on Immigration in Two Governors’ Races
Republicans in Congress studying the results from the governors’ elections in New Jersey and Virginia on Tuesday see two starkly different test cases for how the party should move on immigration. In New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie was boosted to a blowout victory by more than 20 points in part […] Read more »
Terry McAuliffe won, but why was the Virginia race so close? Here are 6 reasons.
Democrat Terry McAuliffe’s win over Republican Ken Cuccinelli in the Virginia governor’s race was predicted by virtually all public polls. But the narrowness of that victory was, largely, missed by polls. So, why was it so close, and what did the polls miss? CONT. Peyton M. Craighill & Scott Clement, […] Read more »
Cuccinelli’s stance on Obamacare was a liability, McAuliffe pollster says
The insta-punditry on the Virginia outcome widely holds that Obamacare was the main reason Ken Cuccinelli came much closer than expected to winning. As Cuccinelli himself put it: “This race came down to the wire because of Obamacare. That message will go out across America.” But what if Cuccinell’s stance […] Read more »