… Figuring out how people actually feel when they respond to political polls — and separating those feelings from the hyper-partisanship that has come to define the nation’s politics — is at the heart of a new effort by a University of Maryland researcher and a longtime political operative. The […] Read more »
The States That Will Pick the President: The Sunbelt
The emergence of three rapidly growing Sunbelt states as pivotal swing contests in presidential elections may be one of the most unexpected developments in recent American politics. … If Republicans can’t hold North Carolina (with 15 Electoral College votes) and recapture at least Florida (with 29 EC votes), if not […] Read more »
Who Will Save the Democratic Party From Itself?
Not everyone agrees that Hillary Clinton’s selection as the Democratic nominee is unstoppable. The first to challenge her is Jim Webb, a one-term former senator from Virginia. Here is the case for the Democratic Party renegade. CONT. Thomas B. Edsall, New York Times Read more »
Keeping polls in context
The poll was called “humiliating,” “a whopper for the ages,” a “disgrace” — I said it may have been right, at the time it was done. Five months ago, everyone was talking about Eric Cantor’s errant poll: the one that showed him 34 points ahead, before he lost by 11. […] Read more »
Why Polls Can Sometimes Get Things So Wrong
In the aftermath of Eric Cantor’s loss and Thad Cochran’s narrow runoff victory, you might be tempted to conclude that political polling is losing its utility. It isn’t. The science of polling is sound, but if you ask the wrong group of people your poll questions, you can get the […] Read more »
Kaiser Health Policy News Index: June 2014
Reports about long waiting times for those seeking care at some Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facilities captured a significant share of the public’s attention this month. Over six in ten (62 percent) report following the story “very” or “fairly” closely, making it the most closely followed health policy story so […] Read more »