How Trump’s Brand of Grievance Politics Roiled a Pennsylvania Campaign

… Far from the power centers of Washington, the early 2020 primary states or the money-rich coastal cities that fund many national campaigns, a shift in the political winds is growing stronger. The Republican Party and its candidates, particularly in state and local campaigns, are increasingly being reshaped in President […] Read more »

Pennsylvania Democrats Wonder How Far Is Too Far Left in 2020

This should be an upbeat moment for Pennsylvania Democrats, desperate to deprive President Trump of a second term. In elections last year, two Trump-like Republicans running for governor and senator lost to Democrats by blowout margins. Four Democrats wrestled away Republican-held congressional seats, including Conor Lamb, whose victory here outside […] Read more »

How Does the ‘Blue Wall’ Look for 2020?

There’s something of a consensus forming that the “easiest” or least risky electoral path for the Democratic nominee in 2020 is to reconstruct the so-called “Blue Wall” in the industrial midwest. If the Democratic nominee wins every state Hillary Clinton carried in 2016, plus Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan, that Democrat […] Read more »

What Could Hold Back a Democratic Wave? Economy, Confidence, Independence.

… Lost in all the talk about a Democratic blue wave is a set of sober reality checks — from the quantifiable to the emotional — that may help Republicans reduce their losses, and possibly even retain their 23-seat majority. In many neighborhoods with key House races, daily life is […] Read more »