Political experts place their bets.
 | | Illustrations by Lucinda Rogers |
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 | By Laura Reston Senior Staff Editor, Opinion |
For months now, Times Opinion has been chronicling the twists and turns of the midterm races, as Democrats surged, Republicans rallied, and we barreled into the final stretch before Election Day. As an editor handling Opinion's politics coverage, I spent a lot of that time looking for writers who could offer a fresh perspective: a commercial fisherman in Alaska to write about Lisa Murkowski, a young state senator in Maine to explain why Democrats struggle with rural voters, a historian to draw out lessons from Prohibition for today, as Republicans set out to ban abortion — voices who would expose readers to different arguments and viewpoints. |
But as we got closer to Election Day, I found myself wanting to hear from some familiar voices too: At a time when nothing feels certain, whom would they put their money on? So we asked several columnists and guest essayists to give us their predictions on a particular race that had fascinated or perplexed them. Ross Douthat bet on Pennsylvania's Mehmet Oz; Gail Collins, with characteristic aplomb, chose a long shot, Ohio's Tim Ryan. All told, in a package we published this week, there are eight predictions from savvy observers spanning the political spectrum. Together, they highlight the complexities and dangers of an election that continues to defy forecasts. |
In a few days, once the results are in, we'll circle back to these writers, asking them to tell us what they got right (and wrong). In that sense, the goal of this project aligns with much of what we do on Opinion: seeking out writers who have strong voices and firm convictions, of course, but who also — and perhaps more important in this political moment — have the humility to recognize when they're wrong, and to reassess as new facts emerge. |
See all of the predictions here, and join Jamelle Bouie, Michelle Goldberg, Ezra Klein and more as they discuss the races, results and future of America live on election night at 6 p.m. E.S.T. at nytimes.com. |
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