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Political Commentary

Most Recent Releases

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August 21, 2025

State Attorneys General: The Top Races to be “Top Cop” By Louis Jacobson

KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE

— This cycle, 31 states will hold elections for attorney general—one in 2025 (Virginia) and the rest in 2026.

— Currently, the GOP holds 28 attorney general offices to 22 for the Democrats (counting an independent in Hawaii who was appointed by Democratic Gov. Josh Green).

— Our analysis suggests that seven AG races this year are currently competitive, including five Toss-ups. Democrats will largely be playing defense: All five seats in the Toss-up category are currently held by Democrats, with at least two of them open-seat races.

August 20, 2025

A New Addiction! By John Stossel

        I am addicted!

        To my phone.

        I check an email and before I realize it, I'm watching TikTok videos: lions fight hyenas, military dads reunite with kids, athletes do amazing things ...

August 19, 2025

Is Gavin Newsom the Democrats' Answer to Trump? By Daniel McCarthy

        Gavin Newsom wants to be the new Donald Trump.

August 19, 2025

'Drill, Baby, Drill' Is Working By Stephen Moore

        Well, so much for the vaunted renewable energy "transition" to save the planet. This was always a fable. We get 80% of our energy from fossil fuels, and with Donald Trump now in the White House, that ratio is rising, not falling.

August 15, 2025

Redistricting in Historic Perspective By Michael Barone

In assessing the current controversy over Texas Republicans' proposed redistricting of the state's U.S. House seats, two historic facts should be considered.

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August 14, 2025

What Fairer House Maps in One-Party Delegation States Could Look Like By J. Miles Coleman

KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE

— The recent mid-decade redistricting developments have prompted a debate about proportionality and representation in the House.

— There are several states across the country where either party lacks representation in the House even as its candidates routinely take a sizable minority share of the vote in statewide elections.

— Redistricting could yield more equitable House delegations in those states, although in many cases, it is hard to get a party’s share of the vote exactly in line with its seat count.

— In Ohio, former Sen. Sherrod Brown’s (D) entrance into the 2026 Senate race against appointed Sen. Jon Husted (R) has prompted us to move the race from Likely Republican to Leans Republican.

August 14, 2025

Anchorage, RussiaGate, and National Guard – Coincidence or Calculation? By Brian Joondeph

One of the keys to President Donald Trump’s political success is his unpredictability. He keeps both domestic opponents and foreign adversaries off balance by refusing to follow the well-worn playbook of his presidential predecessors.

August 13, 2025

My Socialist Mayor Part 2 By John Stossel

        The Socialist politicians are coming!

August 13, 2025

As Many as 1 Million Kids Will Have School Choice This Year By Stephen Moore

        This is the dawning of the age of school choice.

August 12, 2025

Just Say No to More Marijuana By Daniel McCarthy

   Will more marijuana use make America a better place?

August 8, 2025

Learning From America's Immigrant Past By Michael Barone

        When debating current issues, it's helpful to avoid inaccurate depictions of past policy, especially on immigration, in which both opponents and advocates of President Donald Trump's policies have views based on not altogether accurate renditions of the past.

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August 7, 2025

Previewing the 2026 Secretary of State Races By Louis Jacobson

KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE

— Next year, 26 states will hold elections for secretary of state. Currently, the GOP holds 26 secretary of state offices to 21 for the Democrats. Three states do not have a secretary of state.

— Our analysis suggests that five secretary of state races this year are currently competitive, including four in the Toss-up category. Democrats will largely be playing defense: All four Toss-up seats are currently held by Democrats.

— During the last election cycle that had this many secretary of state races, 2022, election denialism was a major issue, and in several purple states it helped Democrats defeat Republican nominees aligned with Donald Trump’s allegations of election fraud. With Trump winning back the presidency in 2024 and constitutionally ineligible to run for president again in 2028, it’s unclear whether this factor will remain as salient for voters in 2026.

August 6, 2025

My Socialist Mayor By John Stossel

I live in New York City. "Proud Democratic Socialist" Zohran Mamdani is likely to be my next mayor.

August 5, 2025

How to Make Sure the US Dominates 21st-Century Telecommunications By Stephen Moore

   Trump's announcement and executive order to ensure that the U.S. dominates the artificial intelligence revolution was a welcome America First policy directive. That mostly means keeping the government out of the way.

August 5, 2025

Will the GOP Make Liberals Generous Again? By Daniel McCarthy

   Before politics overwhelmed the word, the primary meaning of "liberal" was "generous."

August 1, 2025

Heading Toward Midterm Elections, Democrats Not Up Off the Floor By Michael Barone

        Here's a clue that the off-year elections in November 2026 may not go the way conventional wisdom suggests. That conventional wisdom is that the president's party almost always loses the House and, slightly less often, Senate seats.

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July 31, 2025

Texas Republicans Aim for Five-Seat Gain in New Proposed Gerrymander By Kyle Kondik and J. Miles Coleman

KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE

— A much-anticipated draft of a new Republican gerrymander of Texas emerged Wednesday morning.

— The map is designed to allow Republicans to win five new seats in Texas, which would have the effect of pushing their edge in the state delegation from 25-13 at full strength to 30-8.

— Not all the newly-drawn seats are guaranteed Republican pickups, though.

— We offer tentative possible ratings of the new map’s 38 districts below, although without knowing if the map will be enacted under this form (or at all), we are not actually making any rating changes today.

July 30, 2025

Public Believes RussiaGate Was Serious, But Few Expect a Reckoning By Brian Joondeph

Americans largely believe that RussiaGate was more than just smoke and mirrors or a conspiracy theory, as the media suggess. However, despite this belief, only 28 percent of likely voters expect criminal charges against intelligence or Obama-era officials involved in the scandal.

July 30, 2025

Tortured by Bureaucrats By John Stossel

Americans like licenses. People think they make us safer.

We license drivers.

We license dogs.

July 29, 2025

Desperately Seeking a Pro-Growth Democrat By Stephen Moore

   The most recent Wall Street Journal political poll shows that Democrats have swerved into a deep ditch.