The Aug. 7 special election in Ohio’s 12th Congressional District—pitting Democrat Danny O’Connor against Republican Troy Balderson—will be closely watched. It is another chance to see if the Democrats can overperform in yet another special election, which at this point looks extremely likely. A Monmouth poll this week shows that ...
READ MORE7 Pickup Opportunities for Democrats in California
A Democratic wave in 2018 will depend on results from California, which boasts seven competitive congressional contests. In 2016, Democrats failed to gain any seats here despite Hillary Clinton’s more than 30-point victory margin. There are several districts that make for promising Democratic opportunities this cycle, especially given a couple ...
READ MOREWith or Without a Wave, Democrats Can Win the House
Recent election coverage has focused substantial attention on whether or not we will see a wave election this fall. But as much as pundits love to draw conclusions from every poll, the reality is that indicators are contradictory and historically unreliable at this point in the election cycle. We’ve seen ...
READ MOREUS Senate 2018 Rundown of Vulnerable Democrats
Florida: Longtime incumbent Senator Bill Nelson is facing a tough reelection campaign, especially now that Governor Rick Scott has officially entered the race. Recent polls have shown Nelson clinging to a single-digit lead over Scott in a head-to-head matchup. Donald Trump’s popularity may loom large over this competitive state, because ...
READ MOREUS Senate 2018 Democratic Targets
From the beginning of the election cycle, it was widely assumed that the Senate seats in Arizona and Nevada were the only two likely Democratic targets this fall. But the retirement of Senator Bob Corker and the candidacy of former governor Phil Bredesen has created an opportunity for the Democrats ...
READ MOREStrong Economy Could Help Republicans in 2018
With less than six months before the election, the Democrats are benefiting from a positive political environment. Since January, six Republican state legislative seats have flipped, each with its own story but a consistent theme—Democrats are over performing. In all six contests, the winning Democrat exceeded the NCEC’s Democratic Performance ...
READ MOREMore Evidence of a Coming Wave
This week's special elections in Arizona and New York offer fresh evidence of Democratic momentum as November approaches. In all three contests, the Democrats exceeded historical performance—continuing a steady trend that started at the beginning of 2017. Democrats Competitive in Arizona The special election in Arizona’s 8th District was decided ...
READ MOREThis Year’s Legislative Special Elections Could Have Big Implications for November
While the media follows the dysfunction in the Trump White House, the biggest story of the year in the electoral world is the Democrats’ performance in state legislative contests across the country. Since January six Republican state legislative seats have flipped, each with its own story but a consistent theme—Democrats ...
READ MOREConor Lamb’s Victory by the Numbers and Lessons for the Future
Conor Lamb's victory in this week's special election holds several important lessons for the upcoming general election. Again suburban voters emerged as the key voting bloc for Democrats, and the massive turnout in Allegheny County provides a fresh blueprint to follow. The NCEC provided campaign planning and analytics to the ...
READ MOREThe Texas Primary Paints a Muddled Picture for the General Election
Attention has focused on Texas this year, following Hillary Clinton’s competitive statewide performance there in 2016. A number of congressional Republican retirements and excitement surrounding Beto O’Rourke’s Senate campaign (against incumbent Ted Cruz) have led to increasing optimism among Democrats. This week’s primary drew a strong overall turnout, which on ...
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