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Roll Call: The electorate’s inflation report card, January update
The Winston Group’s David Winston writes in today’s Roll Call about the latest data on how the economy is doing: The most obvious conundrum is the disparity between economic growth, or gross domestic product, and the number of jobs created over the past six months. The GDP numbers have been quite positive, with a 4.3 percent increase in the third quarter after second-quarter growth of 3.8 percent. However, the December job creation number was a disappointing 50,000,
Latest Posts
Are Republicans Turning The Corner On The Economy?
New Year, New Education Issue Handling Numbers
How Serious A Problem Do Voters Think Antisemitism Is?
The Chart That Explains Why Cost Of Living Is Such A Problem
What Does “Return Education To The States” Actually Mean?
Policy and Politics
The Politics Of The Status Quo May Be Near A Breaking Point
After the longest government shutdown in history, voter frustration with the political system is high. Both parties are viewed negatively, and among independents, the unfavorables of both parties are close to 70% (Republicans in Congress, 25-68; Democrats in Congress, 23-68). Reflecting the frustration with the status quo, independent voters are
What’s Next After The Shutdown?
The longest federal government shutdown in history is over, with Democrats getting very little in the end. From our new numbers for Winning the Issues (November 15-17), the shutdown was overwhelmingly seen as not worth it (67%) rather than worth it (17%). Only 17% of liberal Democrats and 14% of Democrats said the shutdown was
The Political Center Gets The Last Word On The Shutdown
The longest shutdown in history finally came to an end as eight Senators (7 Democrats and 1 Independent who caucuses with Democrats) voted with Republicans to reopen the government. There are many reasons no one wins in a shutdown, especially the American people. It was a base-driven political exercise that
Are Republicans Turning The Corner On The Economy?
The newest BLS numbers for inflation and weekly wages (from December) showed that November’s positive numbers were sustained. This change has largely been as a result of decreased gas prices, and has only emerged in the last two BLS monthly reports. As seen in our most recent survey for Winning
Republicans Are Betting On A Great Economy In 2026. Is That Enough?
Republicans are facing a challenging midterm environment, but they are banking on the economy improving and larger tax refunds coming in 2026. Democrats think that they don’t have to win on the economy, but only need to be competitive on the issue. Third Way’s EVP of public affairs, Matt Bennett, told
The Chart That Explains Why Cost Of Living Is Such A Problem
Given the current policy discussion about affordability, some Republicans think that the sudden focus on the issue is a political play by Democrats. While there is more issue focus on affordability and cost of living over the last couple of months, the problem has been hiding in plain sight all
New Year, New Education Issue Handling Numbers
Winning the Issues is just out of the field with a brand new survey (January 8-12; 1,000 registered voters). Among the new numbers in this latest survey is an updated look at whether voters have more confidence in the Republican Party or the Democratic Party to handle the issue of
How Serious A Problem Do Voters Think Antisemitism Is?
2025 was a tumultuous year for higher education. It began with DOGE and its funding cuts, including cuts to health care programs and research. Shortly after, many well-known institutions found themselves in the news as the administration announced it would halt or significantly curtail their federal funds. In the latter
What Does “Return Education To The States” Actually Mean?
Last month, the Trump administration announced that it was taking action to “break up” the department of education by rehoming certain functions to the Departments of Labor, the Interior, Health and Human Services, and State. The move, the announcement says, is meant to “move closer to fulfilling the President’s promise to
Roll Call: The electorate’s inflation report card, January update
The Winston Group’s David Winston writes in today’s Roll Call about the latest data on how the economy is doing: The most obvious conundrum is the disparity between economic growth, or gross domestic product, and the number of jobs created over the past six months. The GDP numbers have been
Roll Call: The Electorate’s Inflation Report Card: Three Factors To Watch
President Donald Trump has given his grade an “A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus” grade to his economy. In today’s Roll Call, The Winston Group’s David Winston writes about what voters will be looking at to determine the president’s success on the economy. So, what goes into the voters’ report card as they head into
Roll Call: Why The Tennessee Race Deserves A Closer Look From Republicans
The Winston Group’s David Winston writes in today’s Roll Call about the special election in Tennessee and what it may indicate looking ahead to the 2026 midterms. We saw not only a unique special election turnout, but it might indicate what we could see in next year’s midterms. Which party