Jim Antle, the magazine’s executive editor, brings to life the pages of the Washington Examiner’s magazine in the show Inside Scoop. Each episode features exclusive insight from the article authors and expert analysis.
Blue wave or blue mirage? Antle breaks down why polls are coming under scrutiny as Democrats take the lead in midterm elections.
“There could be some problems with the polls,” Antle said. “There are some people, including some Democrats, who worry that the pollsters are undercounting rural voters, which could skew the results, especially in some of these red states. And we’ve seen polling misses before.”
Past polling misses are one reason to be cautious about the current picture. Antle points to races where Republicans outperformed the polls, including President Donald Trump. Antle questions whether the map makes sense this year as Democrats appear competitive in traditionally red states such as Kansas and Nebraska.
“If the polls are off even by a little bit, especially if they’re off in the Democrats’ direction, that makes the Senate map look much different than it looks right now,” Antle said. “While it might not be enough to save the House Republican majority, it means the Senate Republicans’ majority may still be in play.”
Next in the show, Antle sits down with Washington Examiner’s national security writer and editor, Tom Rogan, to discuss his article on how China is in bed with the world’s worst regimes. Rogan argues that Beijing’s support of Iran, Russia, and North Korea is undermining its efforts to build trust with other countries, particularly in Europe.
“China presents itself to the world as a country that wants what it says is just win-win cooperation,” Rogan said. “But in reality, China’s relationships, its closest relationships, are with some of the most unsavory regimes on the planet.”
Rogan believes Beijing’s partnerships may serve its strategic aims, but they also risk making other countries less willing to accept its calls for cooperation.
“The Chinese philosophy in terms of these relationships is one in which it feels it needs sort of partners that can exert pressure on the United States in certain areas,” Rogan said. “So North Korea, for example, with ballistic missile tests, Russia distracting the U.S. military in Europe.”
Finally in the show, the in-depth report breaks down the cover story on how the stars may be aligned for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2028. Isaac Schorr writes why it may be now or never for the young Democratic congresswoman to run for president.
“The enlightened would note the years since her original triumph have seen her party remade in her image,” Schorr said. “If the string of victories for the far-left in Democratic primaries this cycle, from Maine to Michigan and New York to Florida have taught us anything.”
While polling may point to a couple of other names as Democratic primary favorites, former Vice President Kamala Harris, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), and Biden administration alum Pete Buttigieg, Schorr believes each comes with their own baggage. On the other hand, Ocasio-Cortez is also the first, and to date the only, answer to Trump’s news cycle supremacy.
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“She keeps her name in the news and on TikTok feeds through a combination of commentary on pseudo-political issues and glimpses into her personal life,” Schorr said. “Which have opened a new frontier for retail politicking in the digital age.”
Tune in each week at washingtonexaminer.com and across all our social media platforms to go behind the headlines in the Washington Examiner’s magazine show, Inside Scoop.