Analysis - All Posts
Good News and Bad News from the Long Term Trends NAEP
The findings from Wednesday’s release of the latest NAEP Long Term Trends data were a mixed bag. On the one hand, nine year olds posted some real improvements in reading and math from 2022 to 2025. Thirteen year-olds, on the other hand, were virtually stagnant or had declined from 2023
Roll Call: Unhappy Independents Will Decide This Election
The rising power of independents has been trending in national politics for decades, writes The Winston Group’s David Winston in today’s column for Roll Call. Independents now wield indisputable clout. And they aren’t happy. In the most recent Winning the Issues survey (May 30-June 2), 71 percent of independents said
Discussion Points Episode 1: Is the 2026 Midterm Election Headed For A Wave?
This episode explores the dynamics of wave elections in US politics, analyzing past elections, defining key factors and what to expect in the upcoming midterms. Myra Miller and David Winston break down the importance of party identification, independents, and economic issues in shaping electoral outcomes. Watch the full episode on
Who Are Independents?
We talk about independent voters on a frequent basis, and one of the questions we get most often is about understanding who independents are. In recent elections, there have seen sizable increases in voters identifying as independent rather than as Republicans or Democrats. In the 2024 election, independents surpassed Democrats
Roll Call: An autopsy of the DNC campaign autopsy
The DNC finally released its 2024 autopsy, but it was an incomplete post-mortem that failed to get to the heart of what worked, what didn’t and why. In his latest column for Roll Call, The Winston Group’s David Winston outlines six questions on politics and policy that the DNC report
Education Next: The Yale Report and the Value of the Liberal Arts
The Winston Group’s David Winston and Caitlin Peartree are out with a new essay at Education Next. In this piece, they consider the recent report on trust in higher education from Yale University and the importance of the kind of broad-based, liberal arts education an institution like Yale provides. A