… Working with political scientist Boris Shor and economist John Voorheis, [Nolan] McCarty has released a new study that shows that the growing ideological gap between the Republican and Democratic parties — a common obstacle to getting anything done in Washington — is not just due to politicians’ incompetence or […] Read more »
Does DC reflect its districts?
Consultants and staff hear the refrain regularly from members: “I know my district/state. I know what they think.” But do they really? … Politicians are free to ignore public opinion — and some consider it a virtue to do so — but they frequently misperceive it, misjudging the views of […] Read more »
What if All Politics Is National?
Democrats are counting on demographic change to help them win future presidential elections, including next year’s. But three developments are pushing the country to the right, counteracting the idea that demography is political destiny. First, the rise of negative partisanship – that is, the intense hostility members of one party […] Read more »
Urban Resurgence Is A Double-Edged Sword For Democrats
For the first time in the post-World War II era, cities are growing at about the same rate as their suburbs, which for decades grew at a much faster clip. That’s good news for Democrats (especially Hillary Clinton) nationally: Their party’s recent Electoral College victories have been fueled by huge […] Read more »
A Dream Undone: Inside the 50-year campaign to roll back the Voting Rights Act
… What changed this state of affairs was the passage, 50 years ago this month, of the Voting Rights Act. Signed on Aug. 6, 1965, it was meant to correct “a clear and simple wrong,” as Lyndon Johnson said. “Millions of Americans are denied the right to vote because of […] Read more »
California: Record-High Approval for Gov. Brown, Bipartisan Support for His Budget
Californians give Governor Jerry Brown a record-high job approval rating and his budget proposal has strong bipartisan support in a statewide survey released today by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), with support from The James Irvine Foundation. Strong majorities of state residents favor the governor’s plan to require […] Read more »