Republicans’ Slumping Surveys. President Donald Trump’s job approval rating dipped across the board, which should be disconcerting for Republicans on the ballot this fall. Fundamentally, midterm elections are most often a referendum on the president. And if voters are dissatisfied with the president’s performance, they can’t vote against him, so…
Arizona. Open; Jeff Flake (R) not seeking re-election. GOP Gov. Doug Ducey appointed former Sen. Jon Kyl to late-Sen. John McCain’s vacant seat. The appointment could last until the end of the term in 2020, but Kyl left open the possibility of leaving the seat before then, after this Congress…
After 30 years of covering Congress, David Hawkings has a good idea of how Capitol Hill works — or more important, how it doesn’t — and he laid out five key reasons why Congress is broken.
But whether it’s money, maps, media, mingling or masochism, there are no easy…
Gun control has been a third rail of Democratic campaigns, but a new poll suggests that Democratic candidates should embrace a bolder approach to restrictions on guns, even in general elections.
Up to this point, Democrats have been decidedly defensive on guns. The most famous instances of Democratic candidates using…
Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke began the cycle being dismissed as a three-term congressman running an unconventional campaign in an unwinnable race in Texas. But he’s proven to be a fundraising juggernaut and has some Democrats wondering whether he’s rewriting the playbook for winning in red states.
O’Rourke has largely focused…
Following Hillary Clinton’s defeat, Democrats are in the midst of an identity crisis. Some are looking forward to building a racially diverse, urban-centered coalition, as the country becomes less white and more urban. But where that’s not an option, Democrats are looking back to what they hope will be the…
Democrats are defending Senate seats in 10 states that President Donald Trump carried in 2016. In two of those states, he won by more than 35 points. In three others, Trump won by about 20 points. Florida is one of four states that Trump carried by one percentage point or…
The selection of Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court will have less of an impact on November’s midterms than you think. Sure, depending how the confirmation process develops, it’s possible the nomination could affect a handful of races, but the most likely scenario will not change the overall trajectory of…
Justice Anthony Kennedy’s retirement and successor have the potential to alter the balance of the Supreme Court for years, but it’s less clear whether his decision will fundamentally change the fight for the Senate majority in November.
At a minimum, the Supreme Court vacancy reinforces the importance of the Senate…
ARIZONA. Open; Jeff Flake (R) not seeking re-election. Aug. 28 primary. This is one of the only competitive Senate races where the general election matchup isn’t set yet. Rep. Martha McSally, former state Sen. Kelli Ward (who challenged John McCain in the 2016 primary), and former Maricopa County Sheriff…
