There are two weeks until Election Day. And who among us isn't counting the days for this two-year marathon to end? The bombshell reports and WikiLeaks data dumps, Twitter wars, partisan polls, social media trolls, campaign resets, "death match" debates, the resurfacing of Bill Clinton's sex scandals. Fueled by non-stop 24/7 media coverage, this presidential race will likely be remembered as the most toxic, divisive and dispiriting election that any of today's voting population has ever experienced.
But no less significant because of it! The nation is deeply divided on issues of the economy, terrorism, foreign policy, health care, gun policy, immigration, Social Security, education, Supreme Court appointments, treatment of racial and ethnic minorities, trade policy, the environment, abortion and LGBTQ rights. The view that "there's no difference between the candidates" on these issues is not one that is widely held beyond a vocal minority. In fact, Donald Trump's and Hillary Clinton's positions on most of these issues are polar opposites, reflecting the high degree of partisanship in the current political arena. So the outcome of the presidential race is of intense interest, as is the question of whether the Democratic Party will be able to regain control of the Senate. Meanwhile, the importance of state government, while overshadowed by the presidential race, cannot be overstated—and there are many close races at that level as well.
Dentons' US Public Policy team's inaugural Fortnight Election Report offers a brief snapshot of where we believe things stand two weeks out from Election Day. We have sought to identify the most highly competitive races at the federal and state levels, races you'll likely want to know about before November 8. We also highlight a sampling of key ballot measures in states across the country that voters will be deciding on.
Download the Fortnight Election Report
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