In This Episode
A final discussion about the state of the 2018 midterms, including our thoughts on why it’s close, the closing arguments, what races we’ll be watching on Tuesday, what’s making us nervous, and what’s making us hopeful. Then Democratic candidate Colin Allred talks about why he got into politics, and his race to flip the Texas 32nd on Tuesday.
Show Notes:
Final polls
- Washington Post: Democrats lead in House preferences, but positive views of the economy and concern about border security may buoy Republicans, poll finds
- Wall Street Journal: In New Poll, Democrats Hold Lead on Which Party Should Control Congress
- CBS News: House Democrats in position to gain but still face hurdles — CBS News poll
- Politico: Final polls point to narrow House majority for Democrats
- New York Times: Democrats Have Numbers on Their Side in Battle for the House. Republicans Have the Map.
- CNN: The Forecast: Democrats are still favored to win the House. But it’s far from a sure thing.
- Vox: The state of the battle for the House of Representatives, explained
- Cook Report: Why We’re Headed for Huge Turnout
- FiveThirtyEight: The Senate Surprises We Did — And Didn’t — See Coming
- FiveThirtyEight: House Update: Keeping An Eye On Democratic ‘Reach’ Districts
- CNN: The battle for the Sun Belt
- Axios: New polls: Democrats favored to win House control
- New York Times: A Nation in Turmoil Prepares to Deliver a Verdict on Trump
- Vanity Fair: “BLOWING SMOKE”: SORRY, PUNDITS, BUT YOU HAVE NO CLUE WHAT WILL HAPPEN ON TUESDAY
- Vox: The 10 most important Senate elections, briefly explained
- Vox: The 16 most interesting House races of 2018
- Vox: The 13 most important governor elections in 2018, briefly explained
- The Atlantic: Year of the Governor
- Washington Post: ‘Tale of the tape’
Shenanigans
- New York Times: Brian Kemp’s Office, Without Citing Evidence, Investigates Georgia Democrats Over Alleged ‘Hack’
- CNN: Kemp’s office launches probe of Georgia Democratic Party days before historic election
- Washington Post: Concerns about voter access dominate final stretch before Election Day
- NBC News: Trump’s racial divisiveness plays well on TV. But he wins because of gerrymandering and voter suppression – Op-Ed
- Vox: Trump’s top agriculture official calls Florida’s gubernatorial race “cotton-pickin’ important”
- Florida Politics: Ron DeSantis to Donald Trump: ‘We can save you a lot of money’
- Mother Jones: Donald Trump Jr. Is Basically Tweeting About White Genocide Now
- NBC News: RNC Chair McDaniel says Trump’s closing message is focused on more than immigration
- New York Times Magazine: U.S. Law Enforcement Failed to See the Threat of White Nationalism. Now They Don’t Know How to Stop It.
- New York Times: Far-Right Internet Groups Listen for Trump’s Approval, and Often Hear It
- New York Times: Tracing a Meme From the Internet’s Fringe to a Republican Slogan
- CNN: Yes, there is such a thing as right-wing terrorism
Pre-rebuttal of mixed verdict
- Wall Street Journal: A Test of Trump: Midterms Could Result in a Mixed Verdict
- Washington Post: Could losing the House actually help Trump in 2020?
Closing arguments
- Washington Post: ‘Full Trumpism’: The president’s apocalyptic attacks reach a new level of falsity
- New York Times: G.O.P. Sees Trump’s Playbook as Best Hope in Some Tight Races
- Washington Post: Midterms test whether Republicans not named Trump can win by stoking racial animosity
- USA Today: President Trump: Democrats will take ‘a wrecking ball’ to American progress if they win control in Congress
- Vox: Donald Trump’s race-baiting closing argument going into Election Day, explained
- Huffington Post: Trump Celebrates ‘Beautiful Barbed Wire’ On U.S.-Mexico Border
- Vanity Fair: TRUMP’S MIDTERM CLOSING ARGUMENT: PURE RACIAL FEAR
- USA Today: This election is a referendum on Donald Trump’s corrosive impact on our politics – Op-Ed
- Washington Post: Trump says Democrat Abrams would turn Georgia into a “sanctuary city”
- Washington Post: Trump knows he should be talking more about the economy. He doesn’t seem to care.
Dem closing message
- New York Times: Midterm Elections 2018: Closing Arguments in Florida, Wisconsin and Across the U.S.
- Washington Post: In final pitch to suburban voters, it’s GOP talk on economy vs. Democrats on health care
- New York Times: ‘Big-City Rapper’ vs. Weak on Health Care: How a Tossup Race Captures the Forces Driving the Midterms
- Vanity Fair: OBAMA TO TRUMP SUPPORTERS: WHY ARE YOU SO MAD?
- New York Times: Rallies, Taxes and Bus Tours: Down to the Wire in Orange County
- Washington Post: Under a volatile midterm election landscape, Democrats and Republicans sketch divergent paths on issues
- Washington Post: This midterm election is like no other in a generation
- New York Times: Nancy Pelosi: Demonized or Celebrated, She Refuses to Agonize
- NBC News: Democrats haven’t abolished ICE, just their message about it
- New Yorker: Katie Porter’s Quest to Turn Orange County, California, Blue
- New Yorker: Beto O’Rourke and Ted Cruz in the Final Stretch of the Texas Senate Race
- Texas Tribune: Cruz, O’Rourke blitz state in final weekend of campaigning
Colin Allred
- Campaign website
- Dallas News: Colin Allred is a son of his Dallas district. Can he unseat the man who’s represented it for decades?
- Dallas News: In Dallas debate, Allred laments ‘cynical politics’ of Sessions, who casts him as a liberal newcomer
- Dallas News: Colin Allred raises $1 million more than Pete Sessions in North Texas race for Congress
