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Political Commentary

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October 15, 2026

Five Senate Rating Changes as Close Battle for Majority Control Rages By J. Miles Coleman and Kyle Kondik

KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE

— Rating changes this week leave us with five Senate Toss-ups, all in Republican-held seats.

— Republicans now need four of these five Toss-ups (Kansas, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, and Texas), although all of these save the Pine Tree State are naturally red states where it shouldn’t surprise anyone if Republicans hold on.

— Other changes involve races that are more on the periphery of the core battleground but merit watching for possible upsets or surprising trends.

October 14, 2026

Not Fine at All By John Stossel

 Imagine getting a bill from your local government for $900,000 because they see a greenhouse on your property and just assume you're growing marijuana without a permit.

October 13, 2026

Medicare for Nobody By Stephen Moore

 Political pros will remember that a dozen or so years ago, the Democrats produced a famous (or infamous) TV ad showing a man wheeling an elderly lady in a wheelchair up a path to an overlook on a mountain. At the end of the ad, the man pushes the woman out of her chair and off the cliff.

October 13, 2026

Does AI Deserve Human Rights? By Daniel McCarthy

You can't be cruel to a toaster; inanimate objects don't feel pain.

October 9, 2026

How Populist Politics Succeeds and Fails By Michael Barone

 Why is populism, broadly defined, on the brink of historic victories around the world, while populism in the form of President Donald Trump's Republican Party is poised to lose one or both houses of Congress in the United States?

October 8, 2026

Careful What You Wish For: Young Americans and Sharia Law By Brian C. Joondeph, M.D.

Young Americans take pride in being socially progressive.

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October 8, 2026

Four Rating Changes, Headlined by Alaska Senate Moving to Leans Democratic By J. Miles Coleman and Kyle Kondik

KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE

— Of the Democrats’ red state Senate targets, Alaska may be the most promising, and we are moving the race from Toss-up to Leans Democratic.

— For the first time all cycle, Republicans now need to win more of our Toss-ups to hold the Senate than Democrats need to win in order to flip it.

— Other rating changes come in the Alaska and Oregon gubernatorial races, which both land in Leans Democratic from opposite directions, while South Carolina’s Senate election moves from Safe Republican to Likely Republican.

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October 8, 2026

Republicans Try to Avoid a Crossover District Shutout; Four House Rating Changes By Kyle Kondik

KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE

— While we don’t expect this to happen, Republicans may not win a single House race this year in a district that Kamala Harris carried in 2024.

— As it stands now, we think Democrats are favored in every Harris-won seat but two: Rep. Mike Lawler (R, NY-17) is in a Toss-up race, and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R, PA-1) is in Leans Republican.

— We have four rating changes this week, including upgrading Democratic chances in the open NE-2, one of the few Harris-won districts Republicans carried in 2024.

October 7, 2026

Trillionaires By John Stossel

 How much money should any one person have?

October 6, 2026

Why Are Americans So Pessimistic? By Stephen Moore

In nearly every way, Americans have more material wealth, better health, better housing and more of just about everything than ever before. Not just the rich, but nearly everyone.

October 6, 2026

Latin America's Many Trumps By Daniel McCarthy

  Latin America is turning right, and it's a vindication for President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

October 2, 2026

Toward the Final Stretch -- and Beyond By Michael Barone

Haven't we seen this movie before? Voters, weary of a Republican president whose foreign or domestic policies don't seem to be delivering as promised, seem on the verge of a massive rejection of his party.

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October 1, 2026

Elections, Taxes, Transgender Policy, and More: The November Ballot Measures to Watch By Louis Jacobson

KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE

— In November, 39 states will have at least one measure on the ballot for voters to consider, and many have multiple measures.

— The top issues this year will include elections and redistricting, along with taxes and transgender policy.

— Some issues that have been big in previous cycles will be relatively muted in November, notably abortion rights.

September 30, 2026

Always Watching By John Stossel

Do you worry that you're being watched?

September 29, 2026

MAID in America? By Daniel McCarthy

        Legalized homicide is now the cause of one out of every 20 Canadian deaths.

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September 29, 2026

Three Easy Ways to Reduce Pain at the Pump By Stephen Moore

        I've always argued that the easiest way for families to gauge the health of the economy is to check the daily gas price. Drivers see the 50-foot-high signs in every community in America. They stare us right in the face.

September 25, 2026

Toward a Post-Trump Politics By Michael Barone

 From the clutter of midterm election poll results, it's possible sometimes to see new patterns of political support emerging.

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September 23, 2026

Un-Gifted and Talented By John Stossel

   Schools are ending gifted and talented programs. They will no longer separate kids by ability.

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September 22, 2026

Al Gore's Inconvenient Lies By Stephen Moore

   It was 20 years ago that Al Gore's book "An Inconvenient Truth" was published, and ... well, it turns out that the truth was inconvenient -- for Al and his band of apocalyptics.

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September 22, 2026

The Immigration Politics of a Felon's Pardon By Daniel McCarthy

How far will New York Gov. Kathy Hochul go to keep immigrant criminals in this country?