Five myths about rural America that muddle the political realities

In political, media and academic circles, the Trump era has sparked renewed interest in rural America — the supposedly “forgotten” areas of the country where white, non-college-educated voters gave the president the electoral edge he needed to prevail in 2016. The near-singular focus on Donald Trump has yielded a body […] Read more »

Democrats are making big gains in the suburbs. Here’s why that may not be enough to beat Trump.

Democrats are rightfully ecstatic that they won two of the three 2019 elections for governor in deep red Southern states, overcoming relentless campaign visits by President Donald Trump. … The continued migration of highly college-educated suburbs away from Republicans in the Trump era is welcome news for Democrats. The Kentucky […] Read more »

Trump’s options for winning a second term are narrowing

The tumultuous impeachment hearings and the string of GOP election losses this fall underline the electoral risks Republicans are courting as they allow President Donald Trump to refashion the party in his combative image. In overlapping ways, the election results and the hearings — in particular Trump’s characteristically belligerent response […] Read more »

Recent Polls Show Trump’s Support Is Flagging in the Suburbs — and Beyond

From governors’ houses to state assemblies, many Republican incumbents lost their seats on Tuesday — largely thanks to suburban Republican voters disillusioned with President Trump. Since Mr. Trump’s rise in 2016, Republicans have seen their support slip in affluent suburbs such as those around Philadelphia and the Virginia counties near […] Read more »