Is politics a zero-sum game? Imagine, for a moment, if Sen. John McCain (R) had somehow won the presidency in 2008. How might the country be different? [cont.] Larry J. Sabato, Kyle Kondik & Geoffrey Skelley, Sabato’s Crystal Ball Read more »
Democrats: It’s the states, stupid!
Unless the Democrats wake up to the importance of winning state legislative elections, they are likely to remain a largely impotent minority in the House of Representatives and equally feeble in the state legislatures. The momentous Supreme Court decisions on the Voting Rights Act, same-sex marriage and affirmative action make […] Read more »
The Decline of Black Power in the South
To understand the depth of the damage that the Supreme Court’s June 25 decision, Shelby County v. Holder, has inflicted on the voting rights of African-Americans, you have to measure it against the backdrop of the takeover of state legislatures, primarily in the South, by the Republican Party. … The […] Read more »
Three Reasons Why State Polarization Is a Big Deal
… A new study shows that polarization—the ideological gulf between the average Republican and average Democrat—is growing in state legislatures. … Their findings tell us that state legislatures aren’t quite as polarized as Congress, but they’re moving in the same direction. What’s even more interesting, though, is what polarization actually […] Read more »