Democrat wins state House seat in Trump-friendly Sarasota

And FiveThirtyEight notes win or lose, Democratic candidates ran an average of 12 percentage points ahead of each district’s partisan leanings during the 2017 special elections. Former Republican Rep. Alex Miller, who resigned the seat on September 1 of a year ago saying she wanted to spend more time with her family and running her business, won the same district by almost 17 points in 2016.

Almost a quarter of Americans, 23 percent still undecided as to who they will support.

That’s according to some conservatives who are grappling with a Republican-backed spending binge that threatens to generate trillion-dollar deficits for years to come while staining a cherished pillar of the modern-day Republican Party. On the generic ballot, Republicans slightly edge Democrats at 39-38 percent. A sizable 49 percent of independents are undecided.

“The wide Democratic advantage in congressional vote preference comes entirely in districts the party already holds, raising questions about the extent of its possible gains in November”.

Wednesday’s poll also noted that Democrats hold an eight point lead on a generic house ballot. More recent polling shows a shrinking generic ballot and an uptick in President Trump’s job approval rating.

So what’s happened since December?

As we head into the 2018 midterms, there is a reasonable chance that President Trump could become the fourth straight president to lose control of Congress. We were heaaring Russia Russia Russia day after day, when we weren’t hearing about the dysfunction of the Republican Congress and its inability repeal ObamaCare or otherwise get anything done. That mirrors Trump’s improving position in public polls.

“Tonight we have proven what can happen when a group of committed, engaged people unite for a common objective”, Good said. It is still early in the cycle, but a pall has settled over a broke Democratic National Committee where surely they are reaching for the Pepto-Bismol and wondering: “Have we seen this movie before?”

Democrats know the argument they want to make: The bill’s benefits overwhelmingly go to corporations and the wealthy.

Republicans are counting on the economy to boost Trump’s poll ratings over time, and they hope he takes a more measured approach to his Twitter account.

“Trumps base remains energized, but beyond his base, he might be losing the more tepid supports”, Alcock says.

Continued below.Democrats might have to try offering something positive instead.

Caught flat-footed by the suddenly increasing popularity of the GOP tax plan, leading Democrats are urging the party’s candidates to ignore the day-to-day controversies surrounding President Donald Trump’s White House and focus their campaigns on the economy. It’s one thing to oppose policies you think are wrong. Despite polls showing his major legislative dream was unpopular, that president relentlessly pursued it.

At least at the moment.

Second, we are a little under nine months away from the election. Almost a quarter of voters, 23%, are undecided.

On top of that, unnerving interim elections rattled the president’s party. “But in reality, “out” [opposition] parties don’t need to”.

A new edition of Dan’s book “Powers and Principalities” is now available in hard copy and e-book editions.