With help from Manchin and Sinema, a Republican revolution from below is driving national policy

Republican-controlled state legislatures across the country are approving a wave of new voting restrictions on virtually party-line votes that require only a simple majority to pass. The US Supreme Court has likewise decided the key voting rights rulings that helped trigger this surge of state legislation on a party-line, majority-vote […] Read more »

New York State: Hochul Dominating Primary Field; Viewed Most Favorably by Dems

Governor Kathy Hochul is – five months before the primary – the clear favorite among New York Democrats, leading potential primary opponents by more than 30 points. She has the support of 46 percent of Democrats, compared to 12 percent for former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, 11 […] Read more »

Martin Luther King Jr. was right. Racism and opposition to democracy are linked, our research finds.

… In a survey of a nationally representative sample of 1,000 American adults fielded Dec. 14 to 20, we asked respondents about their views on racism in American society — specifically, whether they agreed that White people enjoy advantages based on skin color or that racial problems were isolated situations, […] Read more »

It’s Foolish to Predict the Midterms Until We Know Covid’s Future

… In sharp contrast to everyone else doom scrolling about the pandemic, political handicappers seem determined to treat 2022 as an ordinary election year. As a result, we are awash in glib forecasts about how the inflation rate, Biden’s approval numbers, or the Democratic stalemate on Capitol Hill will determine […] Read more »

Battered White House searches for a Biden comeback scenario

… Weighed down by the coronavirus pandemic, surging inflation and a stalled legislative agenda, Biden’s approval rating has long since dropped into the low 40s danger zone. That leaves him below the level of Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama at similar points before midterm contests that dealt them […] Read more »