Democrats lost control of the House Nov. 8 but exceeded expectations under new congressional maps that ensure the House will be in play for the rest of the decade, according to the party's top redistricting strategist. "There were a sufficient number of competitive seats on the board because of fair maps and the House is now going to be competitive for the decade," Kelly Burton, the president of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, said on Bloomberg Government's "Downballot Counts" podcast with Emily Wilkins and Greg Giroux. Republicans probably will begin the 118th Congress next J ..read more

Election Day is finally here! With so many competitive races, and control of the House and Senate up for grabs, there will be a lot to watch on Tuesday and the days that follow. To help you know what to focus on, and when, Bloomberg Government’s Emily Wilkins, Greg Giroux and Zach C. Cohen used the latest Downballot Counts to walk through each hour of polls closing (based on when the latest polls close in the state) and what races can tell us about the direction of the night. From the East Coast to the farthest reaches of Alaska, Greg, Zach, and Emily review which races will have quick reporti ..read more

Women are still underrepresented in major political office after steady but slow gains: they account for just 28% of members of Congress and 18% of governors, the highest representation so far in history. How female candidates fare in the Nov. 8 election will depend in part on how well incumbents perform. Kelly Dittmar, a political scientist and scholar at the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, spoke about this with Bloomberg Government's Emily Wilkins and Greg Giroux on the "Downballot Counts" podcast. "The story about how women incumbents fare is important" in part ..read more

Bloomberg Government's Emily Wilkins and Greg Giroux could talk about congressional campaigns all day. But as you likely have other things to do, the latest episode of Downballot Counts features the program's first lightning speed round. Greg and Emily highlight 12 interesting races to watch in 12 minutes. They're not necessarily the most competitive races — although some of them are — but each has a unique aspect that will tell us more about voters, trends and the direction of the country. With producer David Schultz on the airhorn to signal the end of each 60 second block, this podcast will ..read more

You can learn a lot about how a campaign is shaking out by looking at what the candidates are saying in their TV ads. Heading into this fall's midterm elections, Republicans are emphasizing inflation and the President's unpopularity, while Democrats want to talk about abortion rights and dispel any hint of the "Defund the Police" movement. On this episode of Downballot Counts, hosts Greg Giroux and Emily Wilkins talk about why the parties are zeroing in on these particular messages, and about whether anything that happens on Capitol Hill between now and Nov. 8 will really matter at the ballot ..read more

Much has been made about the seeming shift in momentum toward Democrats as we head into the midterm elections this fall. But the University of Virginia's J. Miles Coleman, an editor of the widely read Sabato's Crystal Ball newsletter, says Republicans are still in good position to pick up at least a dozen seats in the House and take back control of the lower chamber. Coleman talks with Bloomberg Government's Greg Giroux and Emily Wilkins about why this is and why the Senate is essentially a coin flip with two months until election day. Do you have feedback on this episode of Downballot Counts ..read more

If midterms are supposed to be bad for the party in the White House, why are Democrats gaining confidence ahead of this November's elections? Surprisingly large fundraising hauls are one reason. Weaker than expected Republican Senate nominees are another. And a third reason is that the President's dismal approval ratings don't seem to be hurting downballot candidates as much as one might expect, according to Nathan Gonzales, editor and publisher of the nonpartisan newsletter Inside Elections. Gonzales joins Bloomberg Government's Kyle Trygstad and Greg Giroux to talk about these dynamics and w ..read more

We're now in the thick of congressional primary season, and it's still looking like Democrats will struggle to hold onto the House in November, and maybe also to the Senate. But beyond the makeup of next year's Congress, this year's elections may also determine whether former President Trump's can regain the White House--and whether current President Biden will even stand for reelection. Downballot Counts hosts Kyle Trygstad and Greg Giroux breakdown what we've learned so far from this spring's primaries and where we're heading. Do you have feedback on this episode of Downballot Counts? Give u ..read more

Disinformation and its impact on elections has been a hot topic for years now. But despite this, little attention has been paid to how this plays out in Spanish-language media. On today's episode of Downballot Counts, hosts Kyle Trygstad and Greg Giroux speak with Bloomberg Government reporter Maria Curi about where Spanish-language disinformation is coming from and what effect it's having on the Latino vote. Maria explains why falsehoods spread longer and faster in the Spanish-speaking community and why it's difficult for government regulators to combat it. Greg and Kyle also break down the s ..read more

With the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, rising inflation, and the resurgence of Covid-19, 2021 was a difficult year for President Biden to say the least. This could seriously imperil Democrats' chances in next year's midterm elections if the President can't turn his fortunes around before November. On this episode of Downballot Counts, hosts Greg Giroux and Kyle Trygstad talk about why Democrats had a disappointing year and what next year could bring. They also talk with Kelly Burton, head of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, about the fight over redrawing the country's l ..read more