Posted it themselves
“Another 2006/2026 parallel: in ‘06 Rs wanted Bush to fire Rumsfeld ; 2026 Rs calling for end of war in Iran”
On the record · Updated October 1, 2026
Amy Walter quotes
23 things Amy Walter said, verbatim, from July 28, 2026 to September 25, 2026, each linked to where it ran. Grouped by the story each one belongs to.
2stories
23statements
Sep 25latest entry
More on the record
Amy Walter on Foreign policy & the world1
Amy Walter on Economy, jobs & inflation1
Posted it themselves
“Can the deluge of cash help R’s w/ GOTV in red SEN states? As the late @posglen would say: “can’t win on turnout if you’re losing on message.” The top issue in this election is cost of living and R’s don’t have an effective message for it.”
Amy Walter on Campaigns & elections21
Posted it themselves
“The voters who’ll decide just how big the blue wave this fall, writes @Redistrict , are the “doubly disenchanted” - frustrated with Trump’s handling of economy, but still not sold on Dems. Here are the key things to know about this critical group of voters.”
Posted it themselves
“Voters competitive CD’s polled for @CookPolitical see election not just as a referendum on Trump (who’s underwater by 16pts), but as a repudiation of the entire political system. Indies prefer candidate who will “reform entire system” vs serve as a “check on Trump”by 39pts.”
Posted it themselves
“New poll of 37 most competitive CDs (ie, races that will decide control of Congress) for @CookPolitical by NewRiver Strategies & GS Strategy Group. These CDs, on average, voted for Trump by 5pts - now prefer a generic Dem by 2 pts. (7 point swing to Dems since ‘24). Shows obvious pathway to majority for D’s, as well as a ceiling (universe remains the 25 or so R-held seats that voted Trump by 10 pts or less). But, to me, the most interesting finding was that these voters see this election not just as a referendum on Trump (who’s underwater by 16pts), but as a repudiation of the entire political system. Among indies, just 20% prefer a candidate to be a check on Trump - 59% want a candidate who will change system overall. This also suggests that these voters would want a Dem-led Congress that focuses more on an agenda that tackles corruption + institutional rot than one that focuses solely on Trump & his overreach.”
Posted it themselves
“That and corruption. It’s how you can meet voters anger about the economy without having to defend tariffs or Iran.”
Posted it themselves
“In recent era, midterm “waves” have been relegated to purple seats/states. Pushing into deep partisan territory is rare. This cycle the combo of tariffs, rural health care cuts, & diesel fuel gives Dems their first real chance to win back rural/farm state voters. But, if they come up short in this environment, hard to make the case that these seats/states can come back in play anytime in the near future.”
Posted it themselves
“New polling conducted of TX Hispanic voters for @CookPolitical and @Univision finds Trump’s ‘24 coalition in shambles. Almost 1 in 5 Trump ‘24 voters now disapprove of POTUS. Talarico leads Paxton by 33. In Rio Grande Valley, Dems lead generic by 14.”
Posted it themselves
“Correct. To me, the biggest question is GOP turnout and a bottoming out with independents that could turn a Trump +10 into a more competitive R+2 or better electorate.”
Posted it themselves
“Let’s see how many battleground CD/state Rs do the same. My bet is it will be close to zero.”
Posted it themselves
“The GOP challenge isn’t that MAGA fans stay home; 2/3 of MAGA R’s in Fox poll said they were “extremely motivated” to vote. But, non-MAGA R’s excitement to vote was net 20 pts lower. Why? These are the R’s most unhappy w/ economy + Trump handling of it. https:// cookpolitical.com/analysis/natio nal/national-politics/republicans-have-enthusiasm-problem-trumps-solution-wont-fix-it?check_logged_in=1 …”
Posted it themselves
“In partnership w/ @AdImpact_Pol , @CookPolitical ’s been tracking broadcast TV ads run in every House and Senate race that we rate as competitive for the fall campaign. https:// cookpolitical.com/toolbox/battle ground-issue-tracker/2026 … The most cited topic in both Dem/GOP ads this primary season: Donald Trump. 45% of all ad spending on House/SEN races rated Toss Up or Lean was spent on ads that featured Trump. 67% of all ad spending in primaries that we don’t project as being contested mentioned Trump. https:// cookpolitical.com/analysis/natio nal/national-politics/cycles-primary-ads-featured-one-star-regardless-party-donald?check_logged_in=1 …”
Posted it themselves
“The electability argument in primaries rarely wins. But, in WI, Hongs decision to make a national media push exposed her weaknesses that elites knew but broader public didn’t.”
Posted it themselves
“In WI, Hong was lumped in with El-Sayed as a progressive insurgent, but she lacked his candidate skills/campaign infrastructure; in MN, Flanagan helped the most by Craig’s Laken Riley vote. In CT, Larsen lost b/c of age, not ideology.”
Posted it themselves
“One of the underrated winners of the Crowley win in WIGOV: Dem Rebecca Cooke in WI-03. This light-red seat is a must-win for Dems and she would’ve been burdened w/ having to separate from Hong.”
Posted it themselves
“Miller’s decision to stay in the race moves OH-07 from Likely R to Toss Up. Read @ercovey ‘s write up here.”
Posted it themselves
“Flying under the radar this week, WA primary results. W/ 93% of vote in, D’s at about 54% in CD-03. As @SeanTrende has written, WA top-2 results have been a good proxy for Nov results. In ‘24, Trump won the CD by 3pts. So, this would be an 11-point swing left. That look right to you, @SeanTrende ?”
Posted it themselves
“If you went through ‘06 cycle, this year feels like déjà vu. In ‘06 at this point, W. Bush approve = 37%. Trump at 38%. Generic ballot in Sept. of ‘06: D+6.5, Generic Ballot now: D+6.5 In both years: Unpopular war, Members mired in sex scandals. (Sherwood, Foley then; Miller, Mills now).”
Posted it themselves
“Interesting nuggets in new EPIC/MRA poll of MI SEN. 1) just 41% of Dems have FAV opinion about socialist candidates - another 35% said “don’t know.” 2) only 53% of D’s are familiar w/AIPAC. BUT, among that group, 65% view it unfavorably.”
Posted it themselves
“Yep. Crazy to think that just 8 years ago pols like Whitmer and Stevens were seen as the answer to Trumpism. Now they are the ‘establishment’ elites propping up a broken system.”
Posted it themselves
“#2 Will ‘meh’ voters, those who somewhat disapprove of Trump, end up voting R this fall anyway? Right now, looks better for Rs than ‘18, but not as good as it did for Ds in ‘22.”
As printed
“Since late May, the Democratic lead on the generic ballot in the RealClearPolitics average has shrunk from 7.9 points to a more modest 4.9-point reading,”
MSNBC Why Michigan is the center of the political universe for the next 2 weeks ›
As printed
“The slippage for Democrats during the same period in the Silver Bulletin average was more modest, going from a high of 7.1 points to 6.2 points today. This shift in the generic ballot average coincided with the success of the progressive left in primaries across the country.”
on Democrats' generic ballot slippage tied to progressive primary wins
MSNBC Why Michigan is the center of the political universe for the next 2 weeks ›
People, on the record
Know what they argued, not just what they said.
The daily brief connects each person’s exact words to the question they addressed and the people who answered. Free.
Free to start. No spin. No yelling.
$5/month, cancel anytime. Secure on Stripe, and nothing is ever paywalled.
One-time, secure on Stripe. No account.