A year ago, Virginia had one of its liveliest primaries in recent history with contested statewide gubernatorial contests for both parties. This year’s affair has not garnered quite the same level of attention as the 2017 primaries, though Virginia was one of the only states to hold regular elections last […] Read more »
Emerging Democratic Party united on liberal policies but divided on how to win
A new Democratic Party is emerging in congressional primaries across the country, united over the most liberal policies in decades but sharply divided over which candidates to run against President Trump and Republicans in the midterms. The party taking shape will challenge the GOP with a distinct populist tilt, marking […] Read more »
Democrats Can Win on Immigration
… In their quest to retake the House or the Senate (or both), Democrats should not shy away from incorporating and welcoming immigrants into their own rhetoric. When Republicans embark on meanspirited immigrant bashing, Democrats should take notes from Harry Reid’s 2010 re-election victory in Nevada and Ralph Northam’s 2017 […] Read more »
New survey shows fixing Virginia’s gerrymandering problem won’t be easy
Let’s acknowledge at the outset that redistricting reform is a subject mainly discussed by policy wonks, obscure to most people, and not likely to stir much public passion. That’s a shame, because without a groundswell of voters demanding change, Virginia lawmakers are not likely to give up the power they […] Read more »
More Virginia voters pulled lever in response to Trump administration than Confederate monuments
More than one in five voters in Virginia’s recent gubernatorial election say they made their decision in response to the Trump administration, according to a new poll by the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University. Offered a range of seven issue areas, a […] Read more »
Inside the Alabama election, a lesson for the GOP in 2018
By most any political estimation, last week’s Alabama special Senate election was an outlier. Democrats generally don’t win statewide races in Alabama and Doug Jones likely wouldn’t have if a series of child molestation stories hadn’t surfaced about Republican candidate Roy Moore. But tallies out of Alabama’s biggest vote-producing counties […] Read more »