He’s Been Forecasting for 42 Years. He Predicts a Crushing GOP Defeat.

Charlie Cook has been doing election forecasting since Ronald Reagan’s 1984 reelection campaign. The founder of the Cook Political Report, an institution in D.C., he recently retired from his life’s work and now writes an informative newsletter called “Charlie Cook Politics.” And he’s been declaring that he hasn’t ever seen an election quite like this one. So, now that Election Day is finally upon us, we talked to Cook about all of it. He explains why he largely believes those astounding New York Times polls showing Democrats leading in seven key Senate races, how many Senate and House seats he expects them to win, and why the election will be partly decided by disaffected GOP voters. We also discuss how Trump’s unpopularity is making this midterm so unique, probe Cook’s concept of a “red undertow” in this election, and dig into whether Democrats have a new opportunity to repair relations with rural and small-town America. Cook also details why he expects the GOP to get a “hell of a beating.” Listen to this episode here.