Author: David Johnson

The greatest political landslide winner in presidential history is Warren G. Harding in 1920. While Harding is remembered today, if at all, for the scandals of his administration, overlooked is the appeal he had at the time with the American people. Harding won the 1920 election with a simple appeal of ‘a return to normalcy’ and a front porch campaign.  Americans were ready for normalcy after the tumultuous years of World War I and the polarizing progressive era of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. They longed for the seemingly simpler era of William McKinley. Harding largely kept his promise with…

The United States Senate race in Michigan is basically being ignored by the media and many Republicans. Republicans have not held a Senate seat since Spencer Abraham served one term in the late 1990s. In 2022, the state was a disaster for Republicans, yet despite this, the state remains deeply competitive. That is why the Senate race should be receiving more attention than it is. It could, with the right Republican candidate, be the sleeper race in 2024 and the race that tips the Senate to Republicans. Except for 2008 and 2012, when Republicans did not contest Michigan, the state has…

Republicans in 2024 should be able to retake the Senate. The Senate map is the most favorable for Republicans than it has been in years. Joe Biden and Democrats are seen as overreaching and are extremely unpopular with their policies. All of this points to a banner year for Republicans in the Senate with seats in West Virginia, Montana, Ohio, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan and Nevada up for grabs. New Jersey with scandal-tarred and potentially indicted Robert Menendez is another seat that could be worth watching. With all these opportunities, there should be many routes to a Republican Senate. Yet there…

The Joe Biden presidency is a shambles. It is confronted by a resurgent China, war in Ukraine, high inflation, consumer pessimism, a potential recession, questions about his competency and a myriad of other issues. Yet what may be Biden’s undoing is a four-year-old child – Navy Roberts (Hunter’s daughter out of wedlock and Joe’s granddaughter). The New York Times reported that Biden’s staff has been instructed to say that Biden has only six grandchildren, thus excluding Navy. The story also included a bit that Navy knows who her grandfather is and could be scarred by the way she has been treated. This…

Republicans must win Georgia in 2024 to win the White House. There is no path to 270 electoral votes without the Peach State. Republicans have carried Georgia in every presidential election since 1996 except in 2020. In 2022, every statewide Republican except for scandal-tarnished Herschel Walker easily won election. The legislature is solidly Republican.  So, carrying the state should not be an issue, right? Wrong. The Georgia Republican Party is a political organization at war with itself. The Georgia Republican Party is in total chaos. Many activists are still angry at Governor Brian Kemp for not intervening in the 2020 election and somehow…

Republicans must win Georgia in 2024 to win the White House.  There is no path to 270 electoral votes without the Peach State.  Republicans have carried Georgia in every presidential election since 1996 except in 2020.  In 2022, every statewide Republican except for scandal-tarnished Herschel Walker, easily won election.  The legislature is solidly Republican.   So, carrying the state should not be an issue, right? Wrong. The Georgia Republican Party is a political organization at war with itself.   The Georgia Republican Party is in total chaos.  Many activists are still angry at Governor Brian Kemp for not intervening in…

In 1967, progressive Democrats begged Robert F. Kennedy to challenge Lyndon Johnson in the Democratic primaries as discontent with the Vietnam War grew. Kennedy declined believing challenging an incumbent, even one as unpopular as Johnson would be mission impossible. He believed even an embattled incumbent like Johnson could not be deprived of reelection. Finally, they found Minnesota Senator Eugene McCarthy to challenge Johnson.  McCarthy was seen as a fringe candidate by the media. Some even suggested that Johnson had drawn McCarthy to the race so Johnson could demolish him to demonstrate his electoral prowess. While McCarthy fell short in the New…

It is exit stage left for Joe Biden. Democrats know they face a problem in 2024 with Biden heading the ticket, so the nudging has begun. Polling ignored by the mainstream media for much of his presidency showing Americans question his mental capacity, is now major news. Biden’s numerous misstatements and slips are now drawing the attention of the media. Even Hillary Clinton in her usual underhanded way when endorsing him, mentioned his age as a concern. But his age and mental capacity is not the reason for concern among Democrats, it is the constant polling showing he will lose in…

Any path to the White House for Republicans in 2024 runs through Georgia. Republicans must win the Peach State to win the White House. That cannot be said enough. Republicans have carried Georgia in every presidential election since 1996, except in 2020. Joe Biden’s narrow victory along with the election of Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock to the Senate led Democrats and the mainstream media to claim that Georgia was a purple state or had even turned blue. 2022 dispelled that myth. The much-heralded rematch between Stacey Abrams and Brian Kemp turned out to be a Kemp wipeout and Republicans…

In early 1983, Ronald Reagan’s poll numbers stood at 35%, the lowest they would be during his presidency. Many in the media had written off his chances for reelection. He trailed potential Democratic challengers in hypothetical matchups. In 1984, his poll numbers were at 58%, and he won reelection in a landslide carrying 49 states. Democrats are drawing comfort from this as Joe Biden seeks reelection. Biden’s poll numbers stand around 39%. He trails many potential Republican challengers. Seventy percent of Americans do not want him to seek reelection. Don’t worry, Democrats keep saying, Ronald Reagan was in the same situation, and he won…