Author Topic: Election 2018 Superthread  (Read 3588 times)

Yamcha

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Election 2018 Superthread
« on: January 30, 2018, 03:16:13 AM »
Let's get this started! Not too many polls up at the moment on RCP:

Tennessee Star Senate Poll:
Blackburn (R) - 51%
Bredesen (D) - 40%

Penn. 18th Congressional District Special Election (Gravis Poll):
Saccone (R) - 46%
Lamb (D) - 34%

Arizona Senate Race (OH Predictive Insights):
Martha McSally (R) - 31%
Sheriff Joe (R) - 29%
Kelli Ward (R) - 25%

*Incumbent Republican Senator Jeff Flake announced in October 2017 that he would retire at the end of his current term instead of seeking reelection for another term in 2018. Flake had said in March 2017 that he was running for reelection, but was considered vulnerable due to low approval ratings, a tenuous relationship with President Donald Trump, and a primary challenge from former State Senator Kelli Ward.
a

Dos Equis

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Re: Election 2018 Superthread
« Reply #1 on: January 31, 2018, 05:15:37 PM »
Is Ted Cruz in trouble? 

Dos Equis

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Re: Election 2018 Superthread
« Reply #2 on: January 31, 2018, 05:17:01 PM »
SHOCK POLL: ‘Blue Wave’ Evaporates, 2018 Generic Ballot Back to Dead Heat
by IAN MASON
31 Jan 2018

A Monmouth University poll released Wednesday shows Democrats with only a “negligible edge” over Republicans for November’s Congressional elections.

The poll, conducted over three days almost entirely before President Donald Trump’s well-received State of the Union Address, shows 47 percent of respondents saying they would vote for a generic congressional Democrat compared to 45 percent for a generic Republican, well within the poll’s 3.5 percent margin of error. This figure is a massive shift from earlier polls showing double digit Democratic leads and fueling pundits’ talk of a “blue wave” that could sweep Republicans from power.

The same polling agency, the Monmouth University Polling Institute (MUPI), found a 15 point generic Democratic advantage using the same question only last month.

Patrick Murray, MUPI’s director, gave some context, noting generic polls’ volitility, but he confirmed that the figures, coupled with the same poll’s finding of growing support for the tax cut the GOP passed with no Democratic support, spells trouble for proponents of the “blue wave” theory. “The generic Congressional ballot is prone to bouncing around for a bit until the campaign really gets underway later this year. But Democrats who counted on riding public hostility toward the tax bill to retake the House may have to rethink that strategy,” he said.

The poll also showed a dramatic increase, from 24 to 37 percent, of respondents who think America is heading in the “right direction,” in the last month. Approval of President Trump’s job performance also improved, matching Monmouth’s estimate from last August at 42 percent, while respondents who thought Trump needed to be impeached or compelled to leave office dropped three percent from July 2017 to 38 percent.

Democratic overperformance in special elections, the loss of promising candidates, and a wave of retirements among congressional Republicans in the last few months has played into a narrative of a growing Democratic wave election come November. Wednesday’s Monmouth poll, however, follows a series of dramatically narrowing numbers for 2018 over the last two weeks. It is the clearest indication yet that the “blue wave” is not a foregone conclusion.

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/01/31/shock-poll-blue-wave-evaporates-2018-generic-ballot-back-to-dead-heat/

Coach is Back!

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Re: Election 2018 Superthread
« Reply #3 on: January 31, 2018, 07:42:26 PM »
If you think election fraud the last time, just wait for this. Woaaaaah Nelly!!

polychronopolous

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Re: Election 2018 Superthread
« Reply #4 on: February 01, 2018, 09:50:27 AM »
Very sharp, politically astute young man does an excellent breakdown of the Democrats failures among the Gen Z 18 to 24 age group(and younger in the case of Minnesota).  Cites data describing how they are losing their grip on 4 traditionally Blue states.

Well worth the 25 minute listen and he has a few other excellent commentaries as well. I left tl;dr bullet points below for those who do not choose to listen to the entire video.



TL;DR - @4:20 Survey shows that Generation Z has far stronger conservative beliefs when compared to Millennials and Gen X

@5:22 Minnesota - Trump WON Ages 18 to 24 over Clinton by 48% to 43%

@7:17  Wisconsin - Trump WON Ages 18 to 24 over Clinton by 45% to 43% AND won all age groups over 40 years old.

@9:23 - Trump won a state wide mock election among Minnesota High School Students

@10:06 - In 10 years Minnesota and Wisconsin could be Lean Red States

@10:56 Maine - While Clinton won the younger generation in Maine the gap has narrowed significantly compared to the 65 and older age group; in 10 to 15 years as the older group begins to die off we could see Maine go from lean blue to toss up or even lean right state.

@12:08 Pennsylvania - While Trump did lose the 18 to 24 age group, the gap has been significantly narrowed when compared to the 25 to 39 age group.

@13:12 All 4 states WERE reliably blue states. That built in advantage the Democrats have relied on for years is quickly fading.

@13:50 Missouri has moved even further right. Trump won 18 to 24 by 22 points!!(57% to 35%)

 






Soul Crusher

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Re: Election 2018 Superthread
« Reply #5 on: February 01, 2018, 09:56:00 AM »
In other words - people got their paychecks increased while nancy communist pelosi calls it crumbs. 



SHOCK POLL: ‘Blue Wave’ Evaporates, 2018 Generic Ballot Back to Dead Heat
by IAN MASON
31 Jan 2018

A Monmouth University poll released Wednesday shows Democrats with only a “negligible edge” over Republicans for November’s Congressional elections.

The poll, conducted over three days almost entirely before President Donald Trump’s well-received State of the Union Address, shows 47 percent of respondents saying they would vote for a generic congressional Democrat compared to 45 percent for a generic Republican, well within the poll’s 3.5 percent margin of error. This figure is a massive shift from earlier polls showing double digit Democratic leads and fueling pundits’ talk of a “blue wave” that could sweep Republicans from power.

The same polling agency, the Monmouth University Polling Institute (MUPI), found a 15 point generic Democratic advantage using the same question only last month.

Patrick Murray, MUPI’s director, gave some context, noting generic polls’ volitility, but he confirmed that the figures, coupled with the same poll’s finding of growing support for the tax cut the GOP passed with no Democratic support, spells trouble for proponents of the “blue wave” theory. “The generic Congressional ballot is prone to bouncing around for a bit until the campaign really gets underway later this year. But Democrats who counted on riding public hostility toward the tax bill to retake the House may have to rethink that strategy,” he said.

The poll also showed a dramatic increase, from 24 to 37 percent, of respondents who think America is heading in the “right direction,” in the last month. Approval of President Trump’s job performance also improved, matching Monmouth’s estimate from last August at 42 percent, while respondents who thought Trump needed to be impeached or compelled to leave office dropped three percent from July 2017 to 38 percent.

Democratic overperformance in special elections, the loss of promising candidates, and a wave of retirements among congressional Republicans in the last few months has played into a narrative of a growing Democratic wave election come November. Wednesday’s Monmouth poll, however, follows a series of dramatically narrowing numbers for 2018 over the last two weeks. It is the clearest indication yet that the “blue wave” is not a foregone conclusion.

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/01/31/shock-poll-blue-wave-evaporates-2018-generic-ballot-back-to-dead-heat/

polychronopolous

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Re: Election 2018 Superthread
« Reply #6 on: February 01, 2018, 10:05:37 AM »
SHOCK POLL: ‘Blue Wave’ Evaporates, 2018 Generic Ballot Back to Dead Heat
by IAN MASON
31 Jan 2018

A Monmouth University poll released Wednesday shows Democrats with only a “negligible edge” over Republicans for November’s Congressional elections.

The poll, conducted over three days almost entirely before President Donald Trump’s well-received State of the Union Address, shows 47 percent of respondents saying they would vote for a generic congressional Democrat compared to 45 percent for a generic Republican, well within the poll’s 3.5 percent margin of error. This figure is a massive shift from earlier polls showing double digit Democratic leads and fueling pundits’ talk of a “blue wave” that could sweep Republicans from power.

The same polling agency, the Monmouth University Polling Institute (MUPI), found a 15 point generic Democratic advantage using the same question only last month.

Patrick Murray, MUPI’s director, gave some context, noting generic polls’ volitility, but he confirmed that the figures, coupled with the same poll’s finding of growing support for the tax cut the GOP passed with no Democratic support, spells trouble for proponents of the “blue wave” theory. “The generic Congressional ballot is prone to bouncing around for a bit until the campaign really gets underway later this year. But Democrats who counted on riding public hostility toward the tax bill to retake the House may have to rethink that strategy,” he said.

The poll also showed a dramatic increase, from 24 to 37 percent, of respondents who think America is heading in the “right direction,” in the last month. Approval of President Trump’s job performance also improved, matching Monmouth’s estimate from last August at 42 percent, while respondents who thought Trump needed to be impeached or compelled to leave office dropped three percent from July 2017 to 38 percent.

Democratic overperformance in special elections, the loss of promising candidates, and a wave of retirements among congressional Republicans in the last few months has played into a narrative of a growing Democratic wave election come November. Wednesday’s Monmouth poll, however, follows a series of dramatically narrowing numbers for 2018 over the last two weeks. It is the clearest indication yet that the “blue wave” is not a foregone conclusion.

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/01/31/shock-poll-blue-wave-evaporates-2018-generic-ballot-back-to-dead-heat/

A 15 point lead evaporating into a statistical tie in a months time. Just incredible.

The next few months are going to be fascinating.

Dos Equis

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Re: Election 2018 Superthread
« Reply #7 on: February 05, 2018, 02:38:31 PM »
A 15 point lead evaporating into a statistical tie in a months time. Just incredible.

The next few months are going to be fascinating.

I really want to see how far people can take this Trump hatred.  That's all they have.  No message.  No innovative ideas.  Just Trump is a mean, evil person. 

Dos Equis

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Re: Election 2018 Superthread
« Reply #8 on: February 05, 2018, 02:47:21 PM »
Polls swing toward GOP, easing fears of midterm disaster
BY ALEXANDER BOLTON - 02/04/18
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/372101-gop-growing-optimistic-about-midterm-chances

Yamcha

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Re: Election 2018 Superthread
« Reply #9 on: February 19, 2018, 10:08:33 AM »
are dems retarded enough to run on:

>anti-gun
>pro-illegal immigration
a

polychronopolous

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Re: Election 2018 Superthread
« Reply #10 on: February 19, 2018, 11:02:28 AM »
are dems retarded enough to run on:

>anti-gun
>pro-illegal immigration

Scott Adams stated it best..."Trump has gathered the Democrat Party into a narrow canyon ravine in regards to immigration"

Look for him to amp up the rhetoric late summer, especially while campaigning in those red states he carried in 2016 who have a sitting Democrat up for re-election.

Board_SHERIF

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Re: Election 2018 Superthread
« Reply #11 on: February 19, 2018, 12:33:37 PM »
are dems retarded enough to run on:

>anti-gun
>pro-illegal immigration

No haa haa - they are running on "Russia Russia Russia"
K

Dos Equis

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Re: Election 2018 Superthread
« Reply #12 on: March 08, 2018, 04:46:49 PM »
POLL: Senate Map Looks Terrible For Democrats In 2018
WILL RACKE
Immigration and Foreign Policy Reporter
03/08/2018

Democrats are touting an impeding “blue wave” in the 2018 midterm elections that will sweep them to a majority in the House of Representatives.

But their prospects look much different in the Senate.

If the elections were held today, at least five incumbent Democrats would lose their seats to a Republican challenger, according to a poll released Thursday by Axios.

Democrats are defending 10 Senate seats in states Trump won in 2016. In six of those states — Montana, West Virginia, Missouri, Indiana, North Dakota and Ohio — Trump’s approval rating is above 50 percent.

That political dynamic presents a big hurdle for several Democrats facing voters who are generally supportive of the president and, as of this month, favor a generic Republican over the incumbent. The Axios poll found that Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Jon Tester of Montana and Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Joe Donnelly of Indiana, and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota are all trailing a Republican challenger.

Manchin, Tester and McCaskill appear particularly vulnerable because each of their approval ratings is either at or below 50 percent, while Trump’s is well above that in all three states, according to the Axios poll. That means running a campaign as referendum on the president, as midterm campaigns often do, is likely to be a losing strategy for these Democrats.

One bright spot for Democrats in the Axios poll is that incumbents are leading in three of the four states where Republicans have settled on a challenger. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Pat Casey of Pennsylvania and Bill Nelson of Florida are all running ahead of their opponents, while McCaskill is trailing Republican challenger Josh Hawley, 44 to 52.

ALSO WATCH:

Play Video
The SurveyMonkey/Axios online polls were conducted February 12- March 5, 2018 among a total sample of 17,289 registered voters living in Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri, Indiana, West Virginia, Montana, and North Dakota.

http://dailycaller.com/2018/03/08/democrats-senate-map/

Yamcha

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Re: Election 2018 Superthread
« Reply #13 on: April 16, 2018, 04:15:45 AM »
Immigration "Reform" and Gun "Reform"  ::)
a

polychronopolous

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Re: Election 2018 Superthread
« Reply #14 on: April 16, 2018, 03:53:35 PM »
The departure of Paul Ryan is worrisome from a view point of retaining the House for the Republicans.

Hopefully Pelosi retains power within her party and the thought of her taking the gavel is enough to get people off their asses and to the polls.

Coach is Back!

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Re: Election 2018 Superthread
« Reply #15 on: April 16, 2018, 04:32:16 PM »
The departure of Paul Ryan is worrisome from a view point of retaining the House for the Republicans.

Hopefully Pelosi retains power within her party and the thought of her taking the gavel is enough to get people off their asses and to the polls.

Make no mistake. At some point Trump will be impeached and for no reason. Like Levin said, this is a silent coup.

polychronopolous

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Re: Election 2018 Superthread
« Reply #16 on: April 16, 2018, 04:49:31 PM »
Make no mistake. At some point Trump will be impeached and for no reason. Like Levin said, this is a silent coup.

It is such an incredible dynamic we are seeing.

The media is throwing out everything they have at him, like nothing we have ever come close to seeing, and yet he still sits at 51% in the latest Rasmussen poll.

They simply do not have the power they used to...and they are becoming weaker by the day.

Crazy times.

Dos Equis

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Re: Election 2018 Superthread
« Reply #17 on: April 16, 2018, 04:50:49 PM »
Make no mistake. At some point Trump will be impeached and for no reason. Like Levin said, this is a silent coup.

Impeached but not removed, and only if Democrats take the House.

polychronopolous

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Re: Election 2018 Superthread
« Reply #18 on: April 16, 2018, 05:19:18 PM »
I love it.

Hope she stays until she is 103.

Democrats pushing for Pelosi’s ouster as leader stand down — at least until elections



By David Weigel April 16
Democrats who have pushed for Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s ouster as House minority leader are standing down — at least until after November’s midterm elections.

Republican Speaker Paul D. Ryan’s surprise announcement last week that he would retire at the end of his term boosted Democrats’ hopes that they could wrest back control of the House this fall. The possibility of majority control also gave new life to a looming question: Will Pelosi, or someone else, lead the party?

Democrats say they are focused on one task — winning — and have clamped down on talk of replacing Pelosi (D-Calif.), who has guided the party for 17 years, served as speaker from 2007 to 2011 and is intent on reclaiming the gavel.

“We have one North Star: 218 seats. Period,” said Rep. Denny Heck (D-Wash.), the chairman of recruitment at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Several Democrats have called for a new, younger leadership team, helmed by someone other than the 78-year-old Pelosi. The prodigious fundraiser, who says she has raised more than $49 million for Democrats in this election cycle alone, turned back challenges in 2011 and 2015.

Even Pelosi’s fiercest critics in the Democratic ranks grudgingly say she will be the presumptive candidate for speaker for the next seven months.

First-time, liberal candidates are flooding the Democratic primaries VIEW GRAPHIC
“We can look at the other side and see the chaos that happens when a leader exits,” said Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), who opposed Pelosi’s last leadership bid. “This whole election is about Trump. We can worry about the leadership situation later.”

Numerous Democratic candidates seeking seats in the House have said they would prefer new leadership, as Pelosi’s resilience remains a source of frustration to those who want her out.

Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.) pointed out that Ryan (R-Wis.) arrived in Congress the same year, 1999, as Rep. Joseph Crowley (N.Y.), the Democratic conference chairman. She threw up her arms and pretended to be climbing a ladder, to demonstrate how long Crowley has been trying to rise in the party’s leadership.

“Republicans know how to do turnover. We don’t,” said Rice. “Paul Ryan took the job on his own terms, and he’s leaving on his own terms.”


Not since 1954 and Sam Rayburn has a former speaker of the House stayed on as minority leader, then returned to power. No minority leader has presided over four losing elections and then become speaker, though Democrats did shrink the Republican majority in 2012 and 2016.

Crowley recently said Pelosi was “soon to be speaker again.” Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.), who spent the two-week Easter recess on the road with incumbents and candidates, is seen as offering himself as a “bridge” between Pelosi and a younger leader. (Hoyer will turn 79 this summer.)

Pelosi allies point out that Hoyer has raised $5.5 million for Democrats in the 2018 cycle so far, while Pelosi raised $4.5 million just last week. In The Washington Post’s latest polling, Pelosi’s net negative rating had fallen since 2010, with 32 percent viewing her favorably and 44 percent unfavorably. Pelosi has not become more popular, but fewer voters had a strong opinion of her; 58 percent of voters said Pelosi would not be a factor for them in the midterms.


Democrats expect House candidates to run against both Republicans and Pelosi, neutralizing a predictable attack by saying they will back a leadership contest if Democrats win the House. Pelosi has not made loyalty to her a litmus test for candidates; neither have the PACs and committees tasked with electing a Democratic majority.

“It’s not Pelosi versus Paul Ryan anymore, and that does change the dynamic a little bit,” said Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), who challenged Pelosi for leadership after the party’s 2016 defeats.

Pelosi has emphasized that the party’s candidates “have their own purpose” and are doing and saying what works in their districts.

“When a president is below 50 percent one year before the election, that means he gets the retirements and we get the A-team,” Pelosi said. “Their purpose, their authenticity, their connection to their own constituents is what this is about.”

The dynamic has no real precedent — an election for the House in which many candidates hope to win a majority, then reject the party leader who presided over those wins.

Until last Wednesday, when Ryan made his announcement, Democrats had been ramping up a campaign against the speaker, whose national approval rating had sunk under 30 percent.

Rep. Conor Lamb (D-Pa.), whose win last month rattled Republicans, had opposed both Ryan and Pelosi, attacking the Republican speaker in TV ads over his promise to cut programs such as Social Security and Medicare after the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. In Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, where early voting is underway in an April 24 special election, Democratic nominee Hiral Tipirneni has run against Social Security and Medicare cuts without attacking Ryan specifically.

“Talking about Ryan’s agenda gave more coherence to the Republican leadership than actually existed,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said in an interview. “With Donald Trump in the White House, changing directions on an hourly basis, the only plan the Republicans seem to have is chaos, chaos and more chaos.”

Democrats saw a potentially winning template in Lamb’s race. Two months before the election, Lamb announced that he would not back Pelosi if he got to Washington. The Congressional Leadership Fund, the National Republican Congressional Committee and other GOP groups went ahead with an anti-Pelosi message, which hurt Lamb on the margins — less than 30 percent of the district’s voters viewed her favorably — but not enough to rescue the seat.

Many Democratic candidates are taking the same approach to Pelosi, with no consequences from national donors. In Texas’s 7th District, one of 23 Republican-held districts that backed Hillary Clinton for president, Democratic lawyer Lizzie Fletcher has refused to endorse Pelosi for speaker but has still won support from Emily’s List and other national Democratic groups.

Her opponent in a May runoff, Laura Moser, said last year that she would support Pelosi. But after the DCCC attacked Moser’s candidacy, she switched.

“It’s time for a generational changing of the guard,” Moser said. “I’m running against the entire establishment, whether I want to or not.”

Other candidates have preemptively rejected Pelosi from the left. James Thompson, whose closer-than-expected loss in a special House election in Kansas last year was seen as an early sign of Republican struggles, said that he, too, opposed Pelosi.

“They painted me with the Nancy Pelosi brush during the special election,” said Thompson, who is running again for the nomination in Kansas’s 4th District. “I like Nancy. She was perfectly nice to me after I lost the special election, which was the first time I ever spoke to her. But I think that we need new, fresh leadership in there that has a progressive vision, and Nancy’s a corporate centrist.”

Yamcha

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Re: Election 2018 Superthread
« Reply #19 on: May 09, 2018, 10:02:43 AM »
BLUE WAVE INCOMING!
a

SOMEPARTS

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Re: Election 2018 Superthread
« Reply #20 on: May 09, 2018, 10:24:06 AM »
Dems have no position other than anti-Trump - everything else is far, far left. Most of the GOP primaries went to vocally pro-Trump candidates. Can you say two terms for Trump?

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Re: Election 2018 Superthread
« Reply #21 on: May 09, 2018, 11:41:41 AM »
Make no mistake. At some point Trump will be impeached and for no reason. Like Levin said, this is a silent coup.

-Pretty sure we can't impeach Trump for no reason.

Dos Equis

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Re: Election 2018 Superthread
« Reply #22 on: May 09, 2018, 04:49:20 PM »
-Pretty sure we can't impeach Trump for no reason.

lol

Dos Equis

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Re: Election 2018 Superthread
« Reply #23 on: May 10, 2018, 10:34:31 AM »
CNN’s Latest Poll Should Have Dems Sweating Over 2018 [VIDEO]
HENRY RODGERS
Political Reporter
05/09/2018

Support for Democrats in the generic congressional ballot for the 2018 elections has dropped down to a three-point advantage over Republicans and within the margin of error, according to a CNN poll released Wednesday.

The poll shows a massive dip in support for Democrats over the past few months. A CNN poll in February showed that Democrats had a 16-point advantage over Republicans and in March CNN released a poll that showed Democrats had a six-point advantage over the GOP, CNN reported.

Forty-seven percent of registered voters in May said they support the Democratic candidate in their district while 44 percent support the Republican candidate, according to the poll.

Enthusiasm among Republican voters has also increased in the last few months. Thirty-six percent of Republican and Republican-leaning registered voters said in March they were very enthusiastic about voting. The May poll shows that number is up to 44 percent.

The numbers come as media pundits and Democrats have been predicting a “blue wave” will sweep Republicans in the 2018 November elections.

WATCH:

However, Democrats still have a large lead over Republicans in voter enthusiasm. Fifty-three percent of Democrats said they are very enthusiastic to vote for their candidate compared to 41 percent of Republicans.

The CNN poll was conducted by SSRS through landlines or cellphones between May 2-5. The questions were asked to a group of 1,015 random adults in the U.S. There was a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points and 3.8 points for the group of 901 registered voters.

http://dailycaller.com/2018/05/09/cnn-poll-democrats-generic-congressional-ballot/

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Re: Election 2018 Superthread
« Reply #24 on: May 14, 2018, 09:41:32 AM »
PowerPost
Trump’s improved standing, energized GOP voters worry Democrats
 
President Trump and Indiana Republican senatorial candidate Mike Braun embrace during a GOP campaign rally Thursday. (Charles Rex Arbogast/AP)
By Sean Sullivan and Seung Min Kim May 14 at 6:00 AM Email the author
After months of confidence that public discontent with President Trump would lift Democrats back to power in Congress, some party leaders are fretting that their advantages in this year’s midterms are eroding amid a shifting political landscape.

Driving their concerns are Trump’s approval rating, which has ticked upward in recent weeks, and high Republican turnout in some recent primaries, suggesting the GOP base remains energized. What’s more, Republicans stand to benefit politically from a thriving economy and are choosing formidable candidates to take on vulnerable Democratic senators.

One of their biggest sources of anxiety is the Senate race in Florida, where some Democrats fear that three-term Sen. Bill Nelson has not adequately prepared to defend his seat against Gov. Rick Scott, a well-financed former businessman handpicked for the race by Trump. Scott and Nelson are close in early polls.

“I’m concerned about the race. I think everybody is,” said Ione Townsend, the Democratic Party chair in Hillsborough County, home to Tampa. Townsend said it will “be hard to compete” with Scott’s money.

ADVERTISING

The growing alarm about Nelson, one of 10 Democratic senators running this year in a state won by Trump in 2016, prompted the Senate’s top Democrat, Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.), to sound the alarm a few months ago in a private meeting in which he pleaded with Nelson to step up his efforts and hire a campaign manager, which he did not do until March, according to people familiar with the conversation.

In West Virginia, where Trump won by about 42 points and Republicans gave the president credit last week for urging voters to reject the primary candidacy of a former coal executive who had served jail time, Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III acknowledged that Trump’s popularity in the state is a major boon for the Republicans.

 2:32
Trump's peculiar way of campaigning for Republicans
President Trump has been out in force to campaign for GOP candidates, but his endorsements have a mixed track record. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

“The more he can stay out of West Virginia and direct his energies elsewhere would be helpful,” Manchin said.

[In Senate primaries, Republicans avoid their worst-case fears]

Democratic worries are mounting in the House, as well, where the party has been more confident of gaining the 23 seats it needs to retake the majority. Democrats are picking strong candidates in dozens of Republican-held suburban districts where Trump has lost significant support — but recent surveys suggest the races may be tightening.


Trump’s approval is now at the highest point it has been all year, measured by Gallup in early May at 42 percent, a five-point increase from the start of 2018. Meanwhile, the Democrats’ advantage when voters are asked which party they want to control Congress has shrunk, from 10 points in December to just six now, according to a Washington Post average of recent quality polls.

And Republicans are showing signs they will fight for the House, with GOP megadonor Sheldon Adelson agreeing to give $30 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC backed by Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), according to a person familiar with the donation.

 2:53
What to watch in this year's state primaries
With both parties trying to put their best foot forward for November's general election, here are five things to watch in this summer's preliminary elections. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

“I think anyone who was proclaiming victory a couple of months ago was premature,” said Rep. Daniel Kildee of Michigan, who is a member of the leadership team of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “I think the president’s standing obviously has some impact.”

Republicans still have plenty of reasons to worry. While Trump’s numbers have improved, his standing is still historically low for a first-term president and his administration continues to face scandals and chaos, as well as the expanding inquiry by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III into Russian interference in the 2016 election.


History shows a president’s first midterm does not usually go well for his party. And recent special election results signal a strong year for Democrats, including their stunning win in the Alabama Senate race and the victory this year by a Democrat in a Pittsburgh-area district that Trump had won by 20 points.

Republican leaders, many of whom were previously uneasy about Trump and his brand of nationalistic politics and had clashed with him early in his tenure, have in recent weeks embraced the president, in large part because the party’s success could hinge on keeping his base fired up.

In private conversations, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has advised Trump not to criticize the Senate, said three people familiar with the discussions. McConnell told Trump that it is not good for either Trump or McConnell if voters feel like it makes no difference whether they choose Republicans to represent them there.

McConnell has also urged the president to work with him to promote electable Republican Senate candidates. Lately, Trump has heeded his advice.


He warned West Virginia Republicans not to vote for Don Blankenship, who served prison time for his conviction on mine safety violations and used racial epithets. On Tuesday, Blankenship lost the primary to state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, a more mainstream candidate.

Republican officials are touting the GOP tax cuts, although polls suggest they have not been the political godsend the party had predicted, as well as Trump’s upcoming summit with North Korea’s leader, which stirs hope of stability and detente.

“Peace and prosperity’s a pretty good platform,” said Rep. Steve Stivers of Ohio, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Some local Democrats are nervous about the general election.

“I do worry. I think the pharmaceutical companies are going to throw all kinds of money in here,” said Marion Tanner, the chair of the Fayette County Democratic Executive Committee in West Virginia. Morrisey has past lobbying ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Trump and McConnell welcomed the Republicans nominated for Senate in Indiana and Ohio on Tuesday. Trump held a campaign rally in Indiana on Thursday, where he stayed remarkably on message and praised the GOP nominee, Mike Braun.

“You saw a template for what you’ll see moving forward,” said White House political director Bill Stepien, referring to Trump’s rhetoric at the rally in Elkhart, Ind.

[At Indiana rally, Trump stays on message with an eye on midterms]

White House officials are trying to complement Trump’s efforts on the campaign trail by making Congress look better. At a recent briefing hosted by the White House’s Office of Public Liaison, Stepien emphasized that Republicans could help motivate their base by showing that the Senate was working, according to a person who attended the meeting.

Like others interviewed for this story, the person spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations.

During a Senate Republican luncheon last Thursday, Sen. Lamar Alexander (Tenn.) distributed pocket cards to senators that listed what the GOP has done since last year to help them remind voters. The cards included the tax law, repealing regulations and confirming conservative judges.

Nationally, Republican strategists said they believe that by withdrawing from the Paris climate accord, engaging with North Korea and pulling out of the Iranian nuclear deal, Trump is giving conservative voters a powerful reminder of the blows he has landed against the policies of President Barack Obama.

Trump’s North Korea strategy has resonated with Keith Lowry, chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Executive Committee in West Virginia.

“His presentation leaves a lot of people lacking. And they don’t necessarily agree with his brash techniques or the way he tweets a lot,” Lowry said of Trump. “But the essence and the substance of the man — you just can’t argue with the accomplishments.”

In Florida, Scott’s entrance into the race not only boosted Republican chances of flipping Nelson’s seat, it also ensured that Democrats would have to spend more cash in the state that they would otherwise dedicate to other states.

Scott is wealthy and has a strong national fundraising network. He raised as much money in three weeks — $3.2 million — as Nelson did in three months.

On Saturday, Nelson held one of his first campaign events since Scott launched his campaign.

Republicans still have messy intraparty fights to navigate in Mississippi and Arizona, with polarizing Senate candidates who party officials believe could lose to Democrats. They are plotting ways to elevate the more electable ones.

If Democrats can flip one or both of those seats, their path to the majority will be easier, contingent on holding seats. Democrats also have a plum opportunity for a pickup in Nevada.

Democratic senators have focused on issues like health care, veterans and local matters rather than the national parties or culture wars. They are wagering that they don’t need to stoke the anti-Trump sentiment that is prevalent among base voters; they need to convince Republicans that it is okay to cross over.

Even in the House, where elections tend to align more closely to the national mood, candidates are trying to distinguish themselves on a personal level.

“Anyone who’s counting on a national wave to carry her into office isn’t much of a candidate,” said Rep. Matthew Cartwright (D-Pa.), who is running in a district where Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by 10 points. “You’ve got to run your own race and you have to be your own person.”

Scott Clement contributed to this report.