On the right, the return of Mitt Romney—which I prefer to call the Romneyssiance—has sparked fresh new debates about why Jeb Bush was ever the great 2016 GOP hope. Why does he inspire such skepticism, from the right and the center-right, when his brother didn’t? … This discussion excises a […] Read more »
The Democrats’ Turn: First Steps on the Road Back
The 2014 election was a devastating defeat for the Democratic Party, with consequences that may be felt for many years to come. Even so, we wrote in the aftermath of the 2014 election, “Despite the deep losses of 2014, the partisan predispositions of the Democratic coalition remain very much intact. […] Read more »
Third Chance for Romney? G.O.P. Is Torn
… Mr. Romney’s indication in New York last week that he may run in 2016 has set off excitement among his loyalists in the Republican donor class and assurances from his consultants that he can bring a different dimension to the campaign this time. But interviews with more than two […] Read more »
Bush, Clinton and the Fatigue Factor
… While a focus group of just a dozen voters is hardly a cross section of the entire electorate, this kind of qualitative research provides a color and texture that is simply not available through normal quantitative polling that surveys hundreds or thousands of voters. By examining average Americans’ actual […] Read more »
Romney And The GOP’s Five-Ring Circus
… What is Romney thinking? Candidates who lose general election campaigns don’t have a good track record when they’ve tried to run again. But as my colleague Harry Enten pointed out last week, Romney isn’t nuts to think he has a shot. The GOP field is historically divided, and Romney has […] Read more »
Jeb Bush, and Two Myths About Shifting to the Right
Even before Jeb Bush announced he was exploring a run for the presidency in 2016, the question emerged: Could Mr. Bush win the nomination without pandering to the Republican party’s conservative base in the primaries? The answer from many strategists was an uncomfortable no. Moreover, these same strategists are quick […] Read more »