We could call 2014 a surprising unsurprising election. Republican gains proved larger than most anticipated. But there were few shockers in statewide races; instead, Republicans simply won most of the competitive contests. For all the talk of anti-incumbency, only three sitting governors lost. The bigger surprise was the number of […] Read more »
What happened?
The first key to understanding Tuesday’s elections is recognizing that it was a midterm cycle. The party controlling the White House typically loses seats in midterms. In recent decades, those losses have averaged 30 seats in the House and four seats in the Senate. So far this cycle, Democrats have […] Read more »
Majority Want GOP in Congress to Set Nation’s Course
Following the midterm election that some have termed a Republican wave, the majority of Americans want the Republicans in Congress — rather than President Barack Obama — to have more influence over the direction the country takes in the coming year. This is a switch from early 2012 when a […] Read more »
Why the Voters of 2016 Are Likely to Be Younger and More Diverse
A midterm election has come and gone, and now begins a new round of speculation about whether the Democrats can remobilize young and nonwhite voters in 2016. The question hinges on how much of the growing nonwhite share of the electorate is the result of President Obama’s unique appeal. CONT. […] Read more »
Bad Decisions Came Back to Haunt Democrats in Midterms
… Americans resent the policy choices that Obama and congressional Democrats made early on. Voters saw little action that would have turned the economy around and created jobs for many working- and middle-class Americans. Their struggle continues to this day, and it cost Democrats their Senate majority last week. Choices […] Read more »
Shellacking, the Sequel
… Tuesday’s resounding Republican sweep closely followed the script of the GOP’s landslide in 2010, and it exposed perhaps even more deeply the limits of the modern Democratic coalition—while underscoring the party’s persistent inability to convince enough whites that they will benefit from activist government. But just as President Obama […] Read more »