The Trump Referendum

The U.S. midterm elections on Tuesday will essentially be a referendum on Trump’s first two years in office.

Will it be a blue wave – or a whimper?

Catch up on the trends and issues in these great reads from The Conversation.

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Lisa Varano

Audience Development Editor

U.S. Midterm Elections

Will it be a blue wave – or a whimper? Here’s what the evidence says for the 2018 House midterm elections

Daniel Palazzolo, University of Richmond

The odds favor a big year for Democrats, but the extent of their gains is still in doubt.

Why does the migrant ‘caravan’ exist? And how did it come to be?

Jerry Flores, University of Toronto

A migrant caravan of almost 7,000 people who left Guatemala and Honduras is heading north towards the United States. The reasons they are leaving are complex but involve a U.S.-backed violent history.

Republican ads feature MS-13, hoping fear will motivate voters

Anthony W. Fontes, American University School of International Service

MS-13 is not the biggest or most violent gang in the US. But its grisly murders and Latino membership inflame Americans' anxiety about immigration. GOP campaign ads stoke those fears to attack Democrats.

Marijuana is on the ballot in four states, but legalization may soon stall, researchers say

Daniel J. Mallinson, Pennsylvania State University; Lee Hannah, Wright State University

Midterm voters in Utah, Missouri, Michigan and North Dakota will decide whether to join the 31 US states that have some form of legal marijuana. But ballot initiatives can only take pot so far.

Female candidates running in record numbers for the midterms — just not in California

Christina Bellantoni, University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

A record number of women are poised to win public office in 2018. But don't look to California for help shifting the gender balance in Congress during the 'year of the woman.'

International election observers evaluating US midterm elections will face limitations

Judith Kelley, Duke University

While the US sends observers around the world to monitor elections, few will be present during the 2018 midterms in the US.