Geopolitics is defined as the interrelationship of politics, economics, demographics and geography, and can influence not only elections, but delineate new political power centers and political strategies. Regional groupings of states that are organized around cultural and demographic similarities as well as geography can provide important ways of approaching U.S. […] Read more »
All Politics Is National Because All Media Is National
State and local governments have a huge influence on citizens’ daily lives. They spend people’s tax dollars. They decide how schools operate and what constitutes a crime. And yet, few people seem to care these days. State and local elections aren’t drawing the interest from voters or the media that […] Read more »
Sometimes The Parties Do Decide, After All
In the wake of the 2016 presidential nomination process, it became fashionable to talk about the declining influence of the two major U.S. political parties on their voters. That’s for pretty good reason. The Republican nomination of Donald Trump, despite his tepid support from Republican elected officials and his frequent […] Read more »
The divided public heart
What drives political change – culture or economics? The surge of the Right in the United States and Europe in the past two years has renewed debate on this important question. On one side, the cultural determinists attribute Donald Trump, Brexit and the rise of European populist movements to nativism, […] Read more »
Here’s what we’ve learned from the U.S. congressional primaries so far
This year’s congressional primaries looked to be tumultuous for both parties. Democrats are fielding three times as many candidates as they had in 2016. Republican incumbents, meanwhile, were worried that they’d face primary challengers if they antagonized President Trump’s supporters. Slightly less than one-third of the incumbents seeking reelection have […] Read more »
What the Governor of Massachusetts Tells Us About American Voters
A new WBUR poll of Massachusetts residents confirms that the incumbent governor, Charlie Baker, is overwhelmingly popular and in excellent position to win a second term by a landslide. … What has allowed him to escape the partisan wars that have scarred so many other politicians? Part of the answer […] Read more »