Let’s talk Republicans. As I write, it’s 365 days before the New Hampshire presidential primary, which makes this a propitious time to cast an eye toward the only party likely to have a serious nomination battle; and engage in some rank and nearly meaningless speculation. I’ll focus here on what […] Read more »
The States That Will Pick the President: The Rust Belt
With Democrats consistently strong along the East Coast and West Coast, Republicans dominant in the South and much of the Great Plains, the two parties now often fight most fiercely over a band of burly states that run west from Pennsylvania into Ohio, Wisconsin, and Michigan, and then Iowa. … […] Read more »
In Iowa, Republican field wide open as moderates stake their caucus claims
Less than a year before Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses, it appears that every Republican contender is making a serious play to win the state, setting up what is likely to be one of the most active, competitive campaigns here in recent memory. Political observers in Iowa say the field is wide […] Read more »
Jeb Bush, Evangelicals and the Pandering Question
Jeb Bush, the early establishment favorite for the Republican nomination, has suggested that he doesn’t want to have to pander to the party’s base to win the nomination. He’s probably going to need to. A Bloomberg Politics/Des Moines Register poll painted an abysmal picture of Mr. Bush’s standing among the […] Read more »
Chaos, Not Scott Walker, Leads The Republican Field In Iowa
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is “surging” — all the way up to 16 percent in a new Des Moines Register/Bloomberg poll of potential Iowa caucus-goers. And he’s the second choice of an additional 9 percent of voters. But while the Des Moines Register poll had a lot of politicos talking […] Read more »
Iowa Poll: Jeb Bush Has a Big Problem
Jeb Bush has major problems in Iowa. His vocal support for immigration reform and the national education standards known as Common Core bother many in the state’s Republican base. A Bloomberg Politics/Des Moines Register Iowa Poll of likely participants in the state’s 2016 Republican caucuses shows nearly two-thirds consider Bush’s […] Read more »