New Jersey’s U.S. Senate campaign is on! Every one of the alternatives Chris Christie considered to fill the vacancy posed a different set of risks and benefits. True to his reputation as an astute strategist, he chose the option that maximized his own future political prospects. [cont.] Patrick Murray, Monmouth […] Read more »
Politically, the south and New England really are two different Americas
We all know that are national politics are becoming more polarized: Democrats and Republicans are self-sorting into various regions and demographics, like north and south or urban and rural. There are few conservative Democrats and even fewer liberal Republicans. And yet few pay attention to state level politics, even though […] Read more »
California: Majorities Favor Brown’s Revised Budget, School Funding Plan
Most Californians support Governor Jerry Brown’s revised budget proposal, and they overwhelmingly favor his spending plan for public schools. These are among the key findings of a statewide survey released today by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), with funding from The James Irvine Foundation. [cont.] Public Policy Institute […] Read more »
Popular Governors, and Prospects for 2016
Last month, we examined the most unpopular governors facing re-election in 2014. Many of the governors with the poorest job approval ratings were Republicans in Democratic-leaning and swing states. But the Republicans also have a group of popular governors in swing states and blue states. With broad bipartisan appeal, those […] Read more »
Virginia’s Shift Could Break Streak
Politics is full of long-term patterns – if this happens, that follows – and one enduring example has been the relationship between presidential elections and the Virginia gubernatorial races that follow the year after. Since 1976, the following pattern has held up: whichever party wins the White House, the other […] Read more »
So What Just Happened in Virginia?
… The commonwealth’s curious nomination rules are in the news this week, thanks to last weekend’s Republican Party of Virginia convention in Richmond, where Republican delegates made the highly risky decision to nominate E.W. Jackson (R) for their party’s nomination for lieutenant governor. We’ll let others describe the noxious comments Jackson […] Read more »