The Pollcast: Can the Democrats mount a comeback?
Host Éric Grenier is joined by the CBC's Keith Boag
The CBC Pollcast, hosted by CBC poll analyst Éric Grenier, explores the world of electoral politics, political polls and the trends they reveal.
After putting together a string of victories in state and municipal elections, the Democrats are feeling confident as they look towards the 2018 U.S. midterm elections.
And with allegations of sexual misconduct involving minors swirling around Roy Moore, the Republican candidate for a senate seat in Alabama, the Democrats might also pull off an upset in a deeply red state in the Deep South.
The Democrats were successful in the off-year elections held in various parts of the country on Nov. 7, winning a few mayoral contests, potentially taking control of Virginia's House of Delegates (recounts will determine the final outcome) and securing the governorships of Virginia and New Jersey.
The gubernatorial victories were particularly notable. Phil Murphy won in New Jersey, defeating the Republicans' Kim Guadagno by 14 percentage points in a state that Chris Christie carried for the Republicans by a margin of 22 points in 2013.
In Virginia, Ralph Northam beat Ed Gillespie by a margin of nine points, nearly twice the margin by which Hillary Clinton defeated Donald Trump in the state in last year's presidential vote.
Now, the Democrats might be able to wrestle away Alabama.
The special election taking place to fill the senate seat vacated by U.S. Attorney General Jeffrey Sessions has been rocked by the candidacy of Roy Moore, the Republican candidate who was already a lightning rod for controversy before allegations of sexual misconduct involving minors emerged on Nov. 9.
Before that date, Moore was leading Doug Jones, the Democratic candidate, by an average of eight points in the polls.
Since the allegations, which Moore denies, his lead in the poll has dwindled to just one point — and some surveys now put Jones ahead in a state Trump won by 28 points in 2016.
To discuss the implications of the Democrats' victories, the state of the race in Alabama and how these two events will impact the 2018 midterm elections, Pollcast host Éric Grenier is joined by the CBC's Keith Boag from Washington, D.C.
Listen to the full discussion above — or subscribe to the CBC Pollcast and listen to past episodes.
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