Expect the Unexpected between Now and Election Day

With two months to go, the polls are tightening — and anything could happen.

By Michael Tanner

 

Ready, set, go. With Labor Day in the rear-view mirror, the unofficial start of the presidential campaign is upon us. The post-convention bounces have worn off. Donald Trump is finally beginning to put together something that resembles a campaign and has gone several weeks without saying anything overly outrageous. Hillary Clinton has been slammed by almost daily revelations of sleaze, if not quite illegality, surrounding the Clinton Foundation and her private e-mail server. And the latest polls show that this is a much closer race than one might expect.

Taking a quick look at the battlefield:

The electoral map really is scrambled.

Donald Trump’s campaign was always based on the theory that he could open up the Electoral College map. In particular, he hopes to put traditionally Democratic Midwestern states in play. The most recent polls suggest that he may have a chance. According to a new Washington Post poll, he is leading in Ohio and competitive, though still trailing, in states such as Michigan and Wisconsin. On the other hand, the same poll shows Clinton surprisingly competitive in many traditionally Republican states. While few believe that she could really carry Texas or Mississippi, she very well could flip states such as Arizona, North Carolina, and Georgia......To Read More.....