Losing the Tea Party Baggage

With the demographic composition of the electorate rapidly changing, what is the best way for Republicans in diverse states to campaign? The election in November of Senator Cory Gardner of Colorado provides a template for the party on how to succeed in a battleground state with two ascendant constituencies: well-educated […] Read more »

Much of David Duke’s ’91 Campaign Is Now in Louisiana Mainstream

David Duke seems a figure from the past, the former Klansman and white supremacist who two decades ago was almost elected Louisiana governor. … In his 1991 campaign for governor against Edwin W. Edwards, Mr. Duke largely avoided explicitly racial campaigning, appealed to the frustrations and resentments of white voters […] Read more »

2014: The year in the polls

Polling in 2014 found Americans voicing a lot of worry and concern – and continued dissatisfaction toward Washington that managed to hit record numbers by some measures. Americans offered slightly more positive views of the economy overall then in recent years, but nothing like pre-crash levels. And the political year, […] Read more »

Jeb Bush Might Have A Tea Party Problem In 2016

… What’s the tea party’s problem with Bush? He’s staked out relatively liberal positions on the Common Core education standards and immigration reform, which leaders of the tea party movement deeply despise. More generally, tea party voters prefer outsiders, and Bush is about as insider-y as it gets, with a […] Read more »

2014 Post-Election Analysis

On Election Day of 2014, Republicans won a big victory. And it really was a “Wave” victory, bigger than 2010 in a lot of important ways despite the fact that you’d never know it listening to the mainstream media. Just because it was more or less expected doesn’t make it […] Read more »