In a Tuesday appearance on
Hill.TV, PRRI Research Director Daniel Cox offered a perspective on the upcoming midterm elections. According to Cox, the roadmap to victory for Democrats is not easy. Cox says, “It was a historically difficult map for them in places like Missouri, Arizona, North Dakota. They’re trying to compete in places like Georgia and Texas, but those are kind of longshots.” Of the Texas Senate race between Republican incumbent Ted Cruz and Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke, Cox notes, “If you look at Texas, in particular, there has been so much tension on this race, but if you look at the polling, every statewide race, the Republican is leading.”
Later in the interview, Cox explains why this election may be different from other midterms: “I think if you look at the typical midterm demographics, this one may be a little bit different where you see the groups that don’t historically turnout in midterm elections, people of color, young people, independents may see a little bit higher rates.” Those assertions are backed up by data from PRRI’s recently released
2018 American Values Survey.