Political Commentary

Most Recent Releases

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
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                            November 6, 2026More Than a Thumping, Possibly a Realignment By Michael Barone
  More than a "thumping." That's what George W. Bush called it when Democrats won majorities in both houses by gaining six Senate and 30 House seats in 2006
November 5, 2026Notes on the State of a Wipeout By Kyle Kondik
KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE— The 2026 midterm was a presidential party wipeout without much parallel in recent American history.
— Pre-election murmurs of Southern problems for Republicans were borne out by the results.
— In addition to polling, early voting trends provided clues for some of the states where the Republicans let go of the rope.

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                            November 4, 2026Another Crisis? By John Stossel
 "There is an epidemic of suffering!" says New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

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                            November 3, 2026A Slippery Slope to Criminalizing Politics By Daniel McCarthy
   Politics has high enough stakes without the losers being sent to prison -- or losing their heads.

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                            November 3, 2026Do Altruists Make the World a Better Place? By Stephen Moore
  Altruism is, of course, a virtue.

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                            October 30, 2026Trump Should Resign? Be Careful What You Wish For  By Brian C. Joondeph, M.D.
Should President Donald Trump resign?

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                            October 30, 2026Echoes of 1776 in Today's Divisive Politics By Michael Barone
 It's easy to forget that Americans are voting in a year that marks the 250th anniversary of the nation's Declaration of Independence. 

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                            October 28, 2026Social (In)Security By John Stossel
 "We will always protect Social Security, Medicare!" says President Donald Trump.

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                            October 27, 2026Gas Attack -- Blue States Have the Highest Prices at the Pump By Stephen Moore
  Democrats can't seem to decide whether they want higher or lower gas prices. On the one hand, they're promising that if they win a majority in Congress, they will work to bring down prices at the pump. On the other hand, they can't bring down prices in their own blue states.

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                            October 27, 2026Can Brazil and Venezuela Tolerate Opposition?  By Daniel McCarthy
   Latin American democracy is being put to the test in Brazil and Venezuela.

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                            October 23, 2026What's Ahead If the Polls Are Right -- or Wrong By Michael Barone
   With less than two weeks until the midterm elections, things look bad for President Donald Trump's Republican Party. \

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                            October 22, 2026Why George Washington Would Deport Mahmoud Khalil By Daniel McCarthy
  Mahmoud Khalil wants to take the case against his deportation all the way to the Supreme Court -- and if the justices accept it, they will be deciding one of the oldest and most controversial questions in American politics, a dispute more than 200 years old.
October 22, 2026The Governors: Ohio to Leans Democratic Among Other Changes as Dems Eye Gubernatorial Majority By Kyle Kondik and J. Miles Coleman
Overall ratings summary:HOUSE: 223 at least Leans D, 200 at least Leans R, 12 Toss-ups. See ratings.
SENATE: 49 at least Leans D, 46 at least Leans R, 5 Toss-ups. See ratings.
GOVERNORS: 26 at least Leans D, 22 at least Leans R, 2 Toss-ups. See ratings.

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                            October 21, 2026Guilty of Wasting Our Time By John Stossel
 I shouldn't get so angry. It isn't healthy.

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                            October 20, 2026The FDA Should Grant Americans the Right to Try New Cancer Treatments By Stephen Moore
 Every few months, a young 19-year-old woman from South Carolina boards a plane to London.
October 20, 2026The House: 28 Rating Changes Push Number of Seats at Least Leaning to Democrats Past 218 By Kyle Kondik
Overall ratings summary:HOUSE: 223 at least Leans D, 200 at least Leans R, 12 Toss-ups. See ratings.
SENATE: 49 at least Leans D, 46 at least Leans R, 5 Toss-ups. See ratings.
GOVERNORS: 25 at least Leans D, 22 at least Leans R, 3 Toss-ups. See ratings.

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                            October 16, 2026Has Trump Broken His McDonald's Promise? By Michael Barone
The defining moment of the 2024 presidential campaign, it can be argued, came almost exactly two years ago, on Sunday, Oct. 20, when then-former President Donald Trump traded his suit coat for a yellow apron and worked the fry station and the drive-thru window at a McDonald's.
October 16, 2026The Key State Legislative Races: GOP Plays Defense in Midwest and Elsewhere By Louis Jacobson
KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE— In what has become a blue 2026 midterm environment, Democrats are poised to make gains in the state legislatures, according to our second and final handicapping of state legislature control before the 2026 elections.
— In all, 15 chambers are competitive. Befitting the dynamics of the first midterm election of President Donald Trump’s second term, the Republicans are currently playing defense to a disproportionate degree.
— The GOP holds 9 of the competitive chambers, while the Democrats hold 3. Both Alaska chambers are controlled by a cross-partisan alliance, while Minnesota currently has a tied chamber. Among the 8 Toss-up chambers, 5 are currently held by the GOP.
— With this assessment, we are shifting the ratings of 10 chambers, each of them in the Democrats’ direction.
— In several legislative chambers controlled by Republicans, Democrats are hoping to ride a blue wave and break GOP supermajorities even as we do not expect them to truly challenge for the actual majority in these states.
October 15, 2026Five Senate Rating Changes as Close Battle for Majority Control Rages By J. Miles Coleman and Kyle Kondik
KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE— Rating changes this week leave us with five Senate Toss-ups, all in Republican-held seats.
— Republicans now need four of these five Toss-ups (Kansas, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, and Texas), although all of these save the Pine Tree State are naturally red states where it shouldn’t surprise anyone if Republicans hold on.
— Other changes involve races that are more on the periphery of the core battleground but merit watching for possible upsets or surprising trends.

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                            October 14, 2026Not Fine at All By John Stossel
 Imagine getting a bill from your local government for $900,000 because they see a greenhouse on your property and just assume you're growing marijuana without a permit.