… What nonpartisans make of Mr. Trump’s stewardship of the economy may give us some insight into whether Republicans will get a boost in the midterms, because independents are often the most persuadable voters. It may also offer an indicator of whether weakly committed Republican partisans might defect at the […] Read more »
Spoiler Alert: Why Americans’ Desires for a Third Party Are Unlikely to Come True
Third parties are a perpetual fascination of American politics. Each presidential election cycle brings its own new wave of punditry calling the nation to consider whether this will be the year in which a third party finally breaks through, upending a system in which the two parties have existed in […] Read more »
Why the Midterms Won’t Be Won by Playing to the Base
Most strategists and analysts say this November’s midterms will be determined by turnout. According to this view, whichever party more fully energizes its partisans will come out on top. New data, though, shows this common wisdom has it exactly backward. It’s the voters who sit between the two parties, not […] Read more »
Democrats are more enthusiastic about voting in midterms, poll shows
With less than four months until the midterm elections, it looks as though Democrats have a significant edge in enthusiasm, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll this month. But the Democrats’ advantage is smaller in battleground congressional districts. CONT. Emily Guskin, Washington Post Read more »
Registering by Party: Where the Democrats and Republicans Are Ahead
This is not the best of times for the Democratic Party. No White House; no Senate; no House of Representatives; and a minority of governorships and state legislatures in their possession. Yet the Democrats approach this fall’s midterm elections with an advantage in one key aspect of the political process […] Read more »
In Iowa, Republicans and Democrats fight for elusive independent voters, whoever they are
Abby Finkenauer says she’s running for Congress to represent hard-working Iowans who just want “enough money at the end of the week to send their kids to baseball and softball practice and buy a case of beer.” Rod Blum, the two-term Republican incumbent she hopes to unseat, is a self-made […] Read more »