Smarter Politics

In this episode, we take a look at some special elections being held around the country, and explore what they may reveal about the 2018 midterm elections. We also check in on Colorado’s Democratic candidates for governor, now that two more have made it official. Segment 1: What’s So Special About Special Elections? Campaign watchers don’t have to wait long to attempt to gauge exactly how much Donald Trump will affect midterm elections around the country next year, as three special congressional elections will take place in the next two months: Kansas CD 4, Georgia CD 6, and Montana’s at-large Congressional seat. FiveThirtyEight’s Harry Enten has a great analysis of what typically happens in special elections here. Basically, special congressional election results don’t vary all that much from the previous presidential vote in the district. Historically, the president’s party does a bit worse than its previous performance, and obviously how much worse depends upon the President’s current popularity. With