On Monday, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court adopted a new congressional map for 2018 that’s close to a best-case scenario for Democrats. The map, drawn by a court-appointed special master, doesn’t just undo the gerrymander that’s produced a 13-5 seat GOP edge since 2012. It goes further, actively compensating for Democrats’ […] Read more »
The places that will decide the 2018 midterm elections
Red pockets. Romneyland. Blue-collar blues. Those labels describe the three groups of seats in the House of Representatives that will likely determine control of the chamber in November’s midterm election. … This battlefield reflects the long-term trends that have seen Democrats demonstrate increasing strength up and down the ballot in […] Read more »
Don’t blame ‘Washington.’ Blame the GOP.
Dysfunctional Washington refuses to work out its differences to solve problems that matter to Americans. So say pundits and policy activists, perhaps hoping that diffuse criticism, rather than finger-pointing, will yield a government willing to govern. But the problem isn’t “Washington.” It isn’t “Congress,” either. The problem is elected officials […] Read more »
The New Pennsylvania House Districts Are In. We Review the Mapmakers’ Choices.
Perhaps no event will do more to reshape the fight for control of the House than the new congressional map just released by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. At stake was the fate of a Republican gerrymander that intended to cement a 13-5 Republican advantage in an evenly divided state. Now […] Read more »
Tax Overhaul Gains Public Support, Buoying Republicans
The tax overhaul that President Trump signed into law now has more supporters than opponents, buoying Republican hopes for this year’s congressional elections. The growing public support for the law coincides with an eroding Democratic lead when voters are asked which party they would like to see control Congress. And […] Read more »
Russian Meddling Was a Drop in an Ocean of American-made Discord
… “Partisanship can even alter memory, implicit evaluation, and even perceptual judgment,” the political scientists Jay J. Van Bavel and Andrea Pereira wrote in a recent paper. “The human attraction to fake and untrustworthy news” — a danger cited by political scientists far more frequently than orchestrated meddling — “poses […] Read more »