Did you hear that the Republicans aren’t writing a traditional platform this year? Did you read that the party has only approved a resolution pledged to “enthusiastically support the President’s America-first agenda”? Did you happen to catch the quote in today’s Politico story from veteran GOP congressional hand Brendan Buck, […] Read more »
Democratic Edge in Party Affiliation Shrinks
As the Republican convention gets underway, recent Gallup polling finds the GOP still trailing Democrats in U.S. adults’ party affiliation but not nearly to the degree it did in June. The Democratic advantage over the Republican Party, which was an unusually large 11-percentage-points in June, is now six points. … […] Read more »
Trump is leading Republicans to an unwanted record in the popular vote
American elections tend to swing on a pendulum. No one party usually holds power for too long. Since 1952, for example, only once has a party won the presidency three elections in a row. Yet, partially through a little bit of bad luck and two electoral college-popular vote splits, the […] Read more »
The Democratic Convention’s Big Blind Spot
… Biden projected passion, energy, and solidity in remarks that more closely resembled a grave presidential address from the Oval Office than the typical raucous convention speech. In his manner as much as his words, Biden offered a contrast to Trump’s belligerent volatility—and to the GOP’s portrayal of him as […] Read more »
The partisan pandemic: Do we now live in alternative realities?
A protestor argues with a counter-protestor in Los Angeles on May 1, 2020. FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images Andrea Robbett, Middlebury and Peter Hans Matthews, Middlebury Politics can divide even friends and families. When this happens, we like to tell ourselves that the explanation lies in honest differences in […] Read more »
The Democratic Convention Is a Reality Check for Trump
… Despite a pandemic that has killed more than 170,000 Americans and cratered the economy, the latest surveys show Trump maintaining strong support among the white voters most uneasy about the demographic and cultural changes remaking America, particularly those who are evangelical Christians, live in rural areas, or lack a […] Read more »