Midterm Elections 2018

Taylor Swift’s Savvy, Smiley Instagram Voter Drive

On the social-media site, the once-apolitical musician has been rewarding new voters with attention.

• Spencer Kornhaber
• October 30, 2018

The Biggest Story of the Midterms Is One the Democrats Aren’t Telling

Things are looking up for progressives at the state level—but until recently, the national party wasn’t spreading the word.

• Rahm Emanuel
• October 30, 2018

Why Trump Is Blaming the Media Down the Homestretch

The president’s decision to go on the offensive at a moment of fear and division could be cold political calculus—or it could reflect his press-obsessed worldview.

• David A. Graham
• October 29, 2018

Young People Might Actually Turn Out for the Midterms

As politics becomes more personal for young Americans, new data suggest they could vote next week in numbers not seen in more than 30 years.

• Olivia Paschal and Madeleine Carlisle
• October 29, 2018

Beto O’Rourke’s Huge Facebook Bet

The candidate has outspent Ted Cruz by roughly $5 million—and every other candidate in the midterms by at least $3 million.

• Alexis C. Madrigal
• October 29, 2018

America’s Weaponized Attorneys General

Both parties have taken the gloves off in the midterm elections as they fight for advantage in more than 30 attorneys-general races across the country.   

• Emma Platoff
• October 28, 2018

Trump Goes Ahead With His Rally, Toned Down and Tone-Deaf

President Trump held a campaign rally in Illinois despite a horrific synagogue shooting earlier in the day that left 11 people dead and six seriously wounded.

• Andrew Kragie
• October 27, 2018

After Pittsburgh, All Eyes Are on Trump Once More

The nation turns to a president who has often struggled with empathy and inclusion to provide consolation and unity.

• David A. Graham
• October 27, 2018

There’s a Better Way to Elect House Members

Representative Don Beyer of Virginia has proposed a plan for ranked-choice voting that would make the U.S. House less partisan and more representative for all.

• Parker Richards
• October 27, 2018

Trump’s Incoherent Rally in Charlotte

The president calls for harmony, then attacks. He demands honesty, then lies. He insists on an end to personal attacks, then insults his opponents.

• David A. Graham
• October 27, 2018

Beto O'Rourke Grabbed a Political Third Rail—And Electrified His Campaign

By answering a question most Democratic politicians have refused to touch, the Texas Democrat has tapped into a powerful movement.

• Jemele Hill
• October 27, 2018

The Resistance Won't Win Back Arizona's Senate Seat

Centrist candidate Kyrsten Sinema could be close to becoming the state’s first Democratic senator in 20 years.

• Emma Green
• October 25, 2018

The GOP Is Suddenly Playing Defense on Health Care

A year after Congress’s last major attempt at Obamacare repeal, Republican candidates are airbrushing their history with the law.

• Dick Polman
• October 25, 2018

The Coming Clashes Between Democrats and Republicans

It’s not hard to envision the tension ahead: The Democrats are becoming more diverse at the same time that greater numbers of GOP candidates are embracing President Trump’s nationalism.

• Ronald Brownstein
• October 25, 2018

I Respected Scott Walker. Then I Worked for Him.

National attention made the governor care more about his standing in the GOP than about the people of Wisconsin.

• Peter Bildsten
• October 25, 2018

Trump’s Plea for Unity Didn’t Last Long

At the start of a campaign rally in Wisconsin, the president said he wanted Americans “to come together in peace and harmony.” Minutes later, he was attacking immigrants and Democrats.

• Vernon Loeb
• October 25, 2018

Jon Tester Bets the Farm

In a tight race, the Montana senator is trying to show the state’s white working class that it still has a home in the Democratic Party.

• Sarah Yager
• October 25, 2018

Voter Suppression Is the New Old Normal

Massive purges of minority voters from state rolls will stain the 2018 elections. They won’t be the last.

• Vann R. Newkirk II
• October 24, 2018

Democrats Want to Flip Six Seats in California

There are at least a half-dozen tight House races in California, where Democrats are counting on changing demographics and Trump’s historic unpopularity to take GOP seats.   

• Todd S. Purdum
• October 24, 2018

Progressives Rooting for a Latino Surge Might Be Disappointed

Organizers are working overtime to mobilize these voters in Texas, but experts say not to expect a huge turnout in November.

• Elaine Godfrey
• October 23, 2018