KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE -- Republicans enjoyed a wave-style environment in a few states -- but Democrats showed impressive strength in much of the rest of the country. -- The GOP’s lack of discipline in candidate selection cost them a number of races. -- It remains too early to truly...
Author: Kyle Kondik
Six Days to Go
House rating changes; Senate, governor updates
Dear Readers: Crystal Ball editors Kyle Kondik and J. Miles Coleman, along with our Center for Politics colleague Carah Ong Whaley, will be hosting a Twitter Spaces at noon eastern on Thursday to discuss the looming midterm elections. You can tune in here; if you cannot make it, we will...
The House: GOP Hits 218 in Ratings as Battle Rages Across Big Playing Field
Five rating changes, all benefiting Republicans
KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE -- We now rate 218 House seats -- the magic number for winning a majority -- as at least Leans Republican in our House ratings. -- A large number of races remain close and competitive. The danger for Democrats is that these races end up...
The 2022 Ad Wars
What we learned watching more than 300 campaign ads released in the second half of September
KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE -- To get a flavor of the 2022 ad messages from both sides, we watched nearly 350 campaign ads that came out in the second half of September. -- Abortion dominates Democratic messaging, while Republicans are much less likely to mention it. Crime has become...
Following the Money: What Outside Spending Tells Us About the Race for the House
Plus 6 rating changes
KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE -- The spending decisions by big outside House groups can inform us about the most competitive House races. -- So far, outside groups have spent money in 57 House districts. The lion’s share of those districts that have seen spending are held by Democrats, indicating...
Lessons from the Past: What 1978 and 1982 Tell Us About 2022
Dear Readers: Tomorrow (Friday, Sept. 23) from noon to 1:30 p.m., the Center for Politics will honor the service of U.S. Capitol Police Officers and D.C. Metropolitan Police Officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 with the presentation of the Center’s first annual “Defender of Democracy” awards....
Notes on the State of Politics: August 24, 2022
NY rating changes after impressive Democratic special election win; OH-SEN to Leans Republican
Dear Readers: This is the latest edition of Notes on the State of Politics, which features short updates on elections and politics. We are making a few rating changes today, including in a pair of upstate New York House races after Democrats scored an impressive victory in a closely-watched swing...
The Gubernatorial Races: Look to the West
The most question marks about 2022 lie west of the Mississippi; rating changes in MD, NY, OR
Dear Readers: We all know democracy is in crisis, but what can we do to fix it? Politics Is Everything is a new podcast from the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia hosted by Carah Ong Whaley, Kyle Kondik, and other members of the Center for Politics team....
Reassessing the Race for the Senate
GOP challengers mirror Trump in lack of experience; for Democrats, experience means a record
Dear Readers: Today through Tuesday, we’re celebrating the 70th birthday of Center for Politics Director and Founder Larry Sabato. A community of donors and friends of the Center have committed to match every gift raised for the UVA Center for Politics in his honor up to $25,000. We invite you to...
House Rating Changes: More Movement Toward Republicans
10 changes, all but 1 in favor of GOP
KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE -- We are making 10 House rating changes, 9 of which benefit Republicans. -- Our overall best guess at the net change in the House -- a GOP gain somewhere in the 20s -- remains unchanged. -- We don’t see a huge impact, so far,...
Politics in the Post-Roe World
Abortion springs to the forefront but Republicans retain a strong hand
KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE -- The president’s party often struggles in midterms, although extraordinary circumstances can save them from losses. The Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe vs. Wade could be 2022’s extraordinary circumstance. -- Beyond abortion, Republicans still retain powerful political advantages. -- Democrats could get their version of...
Notes on the State of Politics: June 22, 2022
House rating changes in Virginia, California, and Alaska
Dear Readers: This is the latest edition of Notes on the State of Politics, which features short updates on elections and politics. Barring an unexpected development, this is going to be the only issue of the Crystal Ball this week. We’ll be back next week with a reaction to next...
How the House Landscape Changed
A mild decline in competitive seats, and a spike in safe Republican ones
KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE -- The new House landscape is fairly similar to the old one. -- However, there is a notable increase in the number of super-safe Republican seats -- and a modest decline in the overall number of competitive districts. -- New Hampshire, the final state...
Rating Change: Ohio Gubernatorial Race to Safe Republican
And why the Senate race is still Likely Republican
KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE -- The Ohio gubernatorial race moves from Likely Republican to Safe Republican. -- A close poll does not mean the Ohio Senate race is a Toss-up. Table 1: Crystal Ball gubernatorial rating change Governor Old Rating New Rating Mike DeWine (R-OH) Likely Republican Safe Republican...
The Kinds of Seats that Flip in Midterms
Looking back on past recent waves to assess Republicans’ potential in November
KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE -- While increasingly salient issues like abortion could change the political environment, Republicans still appear on track for a strong showing in the U.S. House. -- Recent midterms have hollowed out the presidential party’s holdings of districts where the president either did the same or...