Key Points• The non-presidential party often performs better in off-year elections than it did in the previous cycle’s presidential race. The recent Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races are no exception, both this year and historically.• This likely has more to do with an enthusiasm advantage generating better turnout for […] Read more »
The Year America Lost Its Democracy
… Adopting an outsider’s point of view has helped to clarify the terrible stakes of the political game now playing out across the country — and has filled me with a sense of deep despair and foreboding. Because if the assaults on democracy that occurred in America in 2021 had […] Read more »
Trump Won’t Let America Go. Can Democrats Pry It Away?
… Do Democrats’ difficulties grow more out of structural advantages of the Republican Party — better geographic distribution of its voters, the small-state tilt of the Electoral College and the Senate, more control over redistricting? Or do their difficulties stem from Democratic policies and positions that alienate key blocs of […] Read more »
Biden goes from a contrast to Trump to a contrast to competency
… This is my last column for 2021, and so maybe a little reflection is in order on what has been a difficult year for the country and a disastrous one for President Joe Biden and his party. … Now, as we close the door on this most miserable year, […] Read more »
Younger U.S. adults less likely to see big differences between the parties or to feel well represented by them
Nearly six-in-ten U.S. adults (59%) see a great deal of difference between the two major political parties, up from 55% just two years ago and substantially higher than in prior decades. Yet as in past years, there are wide age differences in these views: Younger adults are less likely than […] Read more »
Republicans Less Trusting of Doctor’s Advice Than in the Past
Republicans are less likely now than they were in the past to say they are confident in the accuracy of important medical advice their doctor gives them. Currently, 60% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are confident, down from 73% in 2010 and 70% in 2002. Meanwhile, more Democrats and Democratic […] Read more »