Overall, 74% of Americans said the country is going in the wrong direction, including 93% of Republicans, 76% of independents, and 53% of Democrats—majorities among all partisan groups.
But it appears that some two-thirds of that discontent isn’t about charting a new or different path forward for the country. Rather, it’s at least partially driven by a desire to turn back the clock to a different era—one in which women were still effectively confined to the home, abortion was banned, a Catholic and a person of color had yet to be elected president, segregation was still rampant, landmark civil rights and voting rights laws hadn’t been enacted yet, and LGBTQ Americans still lived in fear of losing their friends, family, and livelihoods if anyone uncovered their secret.
As veteran journalist John Harwood noted, “Two-thirds of Republicans believe America’s culture and way of life were better in the 1950s—a concise explanation for this political moment.”
The 2022 midterms are just around the corner, and you sent us a ton of fantastic questions for this week’s episode of The Downballot. Among the many topics we cover: which states are likely to report results slowly—and how will those results change over time; the House districts that look like key bellwethers for how the night might go, and which might offer surprises; why and how Democrats make the hard decisions on which races to triage; the top legislative chambers to keep an eye on; and plenty more!
Kerry Eleveld
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