There’s no doubt that establishment Republicans have moved to the right under pressure from the tea party. That’s led some to conclude that even as tea party candidates lose primary battles this year, the tea party movement has won the issues war. But that story line is problematic when it […] Read more »
How North Carolina Republicans may be helping Kay Hagan
Will Republicans take the Senate? The answer will hinge in part on the race between Sen. Kay Hagan and State House Speaker Thom Tillis in North Carolina. … Paradoxically, the policy successes of North Carolina Republicans could be a blessing in disguise for Kay Hagan. Because the GOP controls North […] Read more »
Senate race in N.C. sets the stage for 2016 presidential competition
North Carolina is this year’s ground zero in American politics. There are other highly competitive races around the country, but no contest so neatly captures all the conflicting currents of ideology, money, demographics and political tactics as the one between Sen. Kay Hagan (D) and her newly nominated Republican challenger, […] Read more »
About those Kaiser polls
A set of New York Times/Kaiser Family Foundation polls on Southern Senate races and ObamaCare created quite a brouhaha last week, eliciting a level of vitriol not seen since the “unskewers” rose up in reckless disregard of reality during the presidential race. At some level, the invective is hard to […] Read more »
Why the Democrats’ Turnout Problem Is Worst in North Carolina
… North Carolina might be the state where Democrats suffer the most from low midterm turnout. The state is divided between older, culturally Southern and conservative voters, and younger, more diverse and more liberal voters, especially around the Research Triangle and Charlotte. In presidential elections, those two groups fight nearly […] Read more »
Close Races in 4 Southern States Could Tip Senate Power Balance
Four Senate races in the South that will most likely determine control of Congress appear very close, with Republicans benefiting from more partisan intensity but a Democratic incumbent, seen as highly vulnerable, holding a surprising edge, according to a New York Times Upshot/Kaiser Family Foundation poll. The survey underscores a […] Read more »