Political Commentary

Most Recent Releases

August 3, 2023How the Other Half Votes: The United States, Part One By Kyle Kondik
Just 151 out of 3,100+ counties cast half the national vote; gap between top and bottom half expanding.KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE— Just about 150 of the nation’s more than 3,100 counties cast half of the nation’s presidential vote in 2020.
— As we typically see at the state level, the more vote-rich counties are more Democratic, while the thousands of smaller counties that make up the bottom half are more Republican.
— This political gulf has widened. Despite similar overall national presidential margins in 2012 and 2020, the difference between the top and bottom halves expanded about 10 points from 2012 to 2020.
— Joe Biden won 126 of the 151 top half counties, while Donald Trump won 2,548 of the remaining 2,960 counties in the bottom half.
— Trump’s wins among the top half counties were concentrated among the smaller pieces of that group — Biden won all but one of the nearly 50 counties that cast 500,000 votes or more.

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                            August 2, 2023Freedom in Colorado By John Stossel
There is actually a Democratic governor who cares about economic freedom!

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                            August 1, 2023Warren Harding's Real Scandal Was His Conservatism By Daniel McCarthy
Mark Twain said history doesn't repeat but it rhymes. The life of Warren G. Harding rhymes with the presidential politics of our time.

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                            August 1, 2023Will the Biden Administration Ban Cigars? By Stephen Moore
What is it with the Left that they want to ban nearly everything that is fun or convenient? Gas stoves, dishwashers, plastic straws, gas cars, snowmobiles and diving boards. And now the health busybodies want to ban certain cigars.

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                            July 28, 2023The Proximal Origin of a Scientific Fraud By Michael Barone
"We do not believe that any type of laboratory-based scenario is plausible."

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                            July 28, 2023Is the GOP a Serious Political Party? By Brian Joondeph
The GOP, as a political organization, stands for “grand old party.” Does it live up to its name? Or should it be renamed, “gladly out of power”?
July 27, 2023Notes on the State of Politics By Kyle Kondik and J. Miles Coleman
Trump’s beer and wine combo helps him maintain a big primary lead; Alabama’s redistricting machinations.

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                            July 26, 2023Free to Try Stuff By John Stossel
Politicians have big plans for us.
July 26, 2023The Dwindling Crossover Governorships By Kyle Kondik and J. Miles Coleman
Sununu’s retirement, other factors could reduce the number of split presidential/gubernatorial results.KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE— Despite an increasing correlation between presidential and down-ballot results, there are still nine governors who govern states that their party did not win for president. That means there is a higher percentage of crossover governors than crossover members of the Senate and House.
— Still, the number of crossover governors was higher in the recent past.
— While there are lots of moving pieces, including what happens in the 2024 presidential election, we could see even more of a decline in the number of crossover governors in this cycle’s gubernatorial elections.

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                            July 25, 2023Demography Destiny, for Us and China By Daniel McCarthy
Americans have a habit of thinking about China in this light.

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                            July 25, 2023Much of the Hot Air Is Coming From Washington By Stephen Moore
Baby, it's hot outside.

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                            July 21, 2023The Press's War Against Free Speech By Micahel Barone
Have we gotten to the point that it's politically necessary to defend the principle of free speech? Apparently so.
July 20, 2023Where People Voted in 2022 — and Where They Didn’t By Rhodes Cook
The vast differences in congressional district turnout.KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE— Despite a requirement that congressional districts have roughly identical populations within states, the number of raw votes cast in each district can vary widely, both within a state and across the country.
— In 2022, there was a nearly 300,000-vote difference between the lowest-turnout district (NY-15 in New York City) and the highest-turnout one (MI-1 in northern Michigan).
— Republicans won about two-thirds of the districts that cast the most votes (300,000 or more) while Democrats won about two-thirds of the districts that cast the fewest (less than 200,000).

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                            July 19, 2023Smears for Money By John Stossel
   The Southern Poverty Law Center just released a report claiming there are 1,225 hate and anti-government groups in America. These groups cause "fear and pain (in) Black, brown, and LGBTQ communities."
July 18, 2023The Frontrunner Who Looks Like a Loser Is Biden By Daniel McCarthy
Are Democrats forfeiting the 2024 election?
July 18, 2023Democrats Are Throwing Kids Off the School Bus By Stephen Moore
Have you heard the outrageous story of what happened recently in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's capital? Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-Pa.), elected in 2022, had campaigned on school choice for tens of thousands of children, mostly minorities, who are forced to attend failing public schools in places like Philadelphia.

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                            July 14, 2023Different Groups That 'Don't Look Like America' Together Produce Success in America By Michael Barone
News stories have reported that despite the Supreme Court's decision in cases brought against Harvard and the University of North Carolina, those and other selective schools still want to employ racial quotas and preferences in admissions.
July 13, 2023Notes on the State of Politics By J. Miles Coleman and Kyle Kondik
Reichert gives Washington GOP a real gubernatorial recruit; retreads abound in House races.

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                            July 12, 2023College Racism By John Stossel
The Left is angry because the Supreme Court ruled race-based affirmative action unconstitutional. President Joe Biden says he "strongly disagrees."

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                            July 11, 2023Biden Declares War on Profits By Stephen Moore
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre recently reiterated a point the Biden White House has been making for the past year: that inflation remains high not because of the Biden $6 trillion spending spree but because "high profit margins" captured during the COVID-19 pandemic drive up consumer prices.