The Transformation of the American Electorate

Race, education, and partisanship from Reagan to Biden

  KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE -- The American electorate has changed dramatically over the past 40 years, and a pair of factors -- race and education -- have driven the changes. -- The electorate has become more diverse and more highly educated. Democrats rely heavily on nonwhite voters and...

Both White and Nonwhite Democrats are Moving Left

Race, party, and ideological congruence in the American electorate

KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE -- One of the big stories of American politics over the past half-century has been a growing ideological divide between Democrats and Republicans. -- This has also led to more ideological cohesion within parties, including a dramatic increase among Democrats between 2012 and 2020. Democrats are...

The Outlook for the 2022 Senate Elections: A State-by-State Analysis

What a predictive model tells us about the last decade of results, as well as 2022

KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE -- Senate elections have become firmly yoked to their state’s presidential leanings. -- Democrats now hold a tiny Senate majority in large part because of their superior performance in otherwise Republican-leaning states, a performance they may find difficult to sustain because of deepening partisan polarization....

Are Democrats Headed for a Shellacking in the Midterm Election?

What the generic ballot model predicts

KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE -- Presidential party midterm losses are a regular feature of American politics. -- President Biden’s numbers are weak as well. But it may be that Democrats are insulated in some ways from a potential “shellacking.” -- Democrats are very likely to lose their House majority,...

Are Latinos Deserting the Democratic Party? Evidence from the Exit Polls

Democratic share of the Latino vote has been highly variable from election to election

KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE -- One key question in American politics is the trajectory of Latino voters. Donald Trump performed better in 2020 with Latino voters than he did in 2016, particularly in places like South Texas and South Florida. -- However, an analysis of the longer-term trend in...

Redistricting and Competition in Congressional Elections

Forces beyond gerrymandering explain rising number of districts that strongly favor one party

Dear Readers: Join the UVA Center for Politics this Friday from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. eastern for a virtual panel, “Crisis in Europe: The Russian Invasion of Ukraine.” Center for Politics resident scholar Chris Krebs, the former director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency,...

Why Voter Suppression Probably Won’t Work

Voting procedures, turnout, and vote margins in the 2020 election

KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE -- In the aftermath of the high-turnout 2020 election, many Republican-controlled state governments have passed legislation that Democrats believe will harm their party’s voter turnout. -- However, voting rules did not appear to have much impact on turnout and had no measurable impact on vote...

Can Democrats Win Back the White Working Class?

KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE -- One of the defining features of American politics is the realignment of white, college-educated voters toward Democrats and that of white voters without a degree toward Republicans. -- There are competing views on how or whether Democrats can perform better among white non-college voters....

How Donald Trump Turned Off Swing Voters in 2020

KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE -- The number of swing voters -- those who change their minds between presidential elections -- has been declining over time. -- However, there are still some swing voters, and they can be decisive in the nation’s highly competitive presidential elections. -- Swing voters helped...

How did the Political Science Forecasters Do?

Dear Readers: We will be releasing a new episode of our Sabato's Crystal Ball webinar series next Wednesday morning. It will be posted on our YouTube channel, UVACFP, and we will also send out the direct YouTube link in next Wednesday's issue of the Crystal Ball. We'll be discussing the...