Primary elections: Blankenship loses in W.Va.; Pittenger concedes in North Carolina

Republican voters rallied behind candidates aligned with President Trump and party leaders in a trio of pivotal Senate primaries Tuesday, reinvigorating the GOP’s bid to hold and possibly expand on its majority in midterm elections. … Trump’s unpopularity in the suburbs and exurbs where Republicans have built their House majority […] Read more »

Trump voters have buyer’s remorse in North Carolina focus group

… Veteran pollster Peter Hart organized the two-hour-and-15-minute session in Wilmington for Emory University. Five independents, four Republicans and three Democrats participated. … When Hart asked for one word or phrase to describe Trump, the group initially erupted in laughter. Only two of 12 said something positive (“bold” and “fights […] Read more »

Two Counties Defining the Battle Lines of the GOP’s Civil War

Republican infighting in Washington may be grabbing headlines, but it’s outside the Beltway, in the trenches, that the party’s civil war is really being waged. The battleground can be seen in the rural, rolling hills and evangelical congregations of Wilkes County, North Carolina, and the upscale suburban sprawl of Delaware […] Read more »