Hey patriots! Max Burns here.
Before we dive straight into Texas on this Poll Position Wednesday, let me do a little scene-setting. A shocking new poll from the Economist puts Democrats a record-setting 14 points ahead of Republicans in the generic midterm ballot. That’s the biggest weekly shift we’ve seen this midterm season, and it’s an even bigger margin than what we saw happen in the 2018 Blue Wave midterm takeover.
That doesn’t seem great for Republicans, but what would I know? I’m only a political strategist.
ICYMI on Lincoln Square:
Poll Position Wednesday
New polls from NPR and PBS also show record losses for Republicans among independent voters. Want to take a guess at where those voters are going? Meanwhile, the great Texas hope James Talarico keeps on surging in a new round of polling that shows him winning over 60% of the independent vote in Texas. But he’s not stopping there! Talarico is also picking up voters who don’t have a college degree, a group long considered lost to the MAGA right.
If you think MAGA incumbent Ken Paxton cares about Texans, think again. Paxton has been notably absent this past week in an effort to not make a bigger mess of things than he already has. Ken, do you think your lack of public debates might have anything to do with the fact that the latest polls show you trailing Talarico by between 2 and 5 points?
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Republicans have lost the plot. They’ve lost farmers, they’ve lost people without college degrees, they’ve lost women, and in the largest ego hit this campaign season, they’re on the verge of losing men. That’s a brutal collapse for a party that built its whole image on alpha male energy.
Still, these races are closer than they should be. Talarico only leads by a few points and that could narrow as the election enters its final stretch. We can’t sound the victory bells yet; there’s still a whole lot of work to do.
As always, you can reach me on Twitter @TheMaxBurns or you can leave a comment down below and let me know what we should be covering in future episodes. Stay safe out there!