A "special master" tasked with making recommendations to a judicial panel does not see proof the new congressional districts were gerrymandered by Democrats, as Republicans allege.
SALEM — New congressional districts passed by Oregon Democrats meet all legal criteria, with little evidence they amount to blatant partisan gerrymandering, a judge has found.
A "special master" tasked with making recommendations to a judicial panel does not see proof the new congressional districts were gerrymandered by Democrats, as Republicans allege.
SALEM — New congressional districts passed by Oregon Democrats meet all legal criteria, with little evidence they amount to blatant partisan gerrymandering, a judge has found.
Credits: Image: Gretchen Ertl
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At times it can feel like public opinion does not matter in U.S. politics. When the U.S. Congress or state legislatures ignore issues that have broad public support, there seems to be a glaring gap between what people want and what politicians will deliver.
But in due course, public opinion does sway elected officials, according to MIT political scientist Devin Caughey. Indeed, Caughey’s work has shown that at the state level in the U.S. over the last several decades, government policies have followed public views often incrementally, but consistently.
“Over the long term, policymaking tends to be responsive to public opinion and move into alignment with what the public wants,” says Caughey. That has become more apparent due to innovative research Caughey and his colleagues have performed while using thousands of public-opinion opinion surveys from the 1930s onward.