Both parties currently are unpopular with the public, but as the GOP showed in 2010, a party with a low favorability rating can still score a sweeping victory in midterm elections.
More than 6.6 million Latinos voted in last year's election -- a record for a midterm. But Latino representation among the electorate remains below their representation in the general population. This gap is driven by two demographic factors: youth and non-citizenship.
More than half of U.S. adults used the internet for political purposes in the last cycle, far surpassing the 2006 midterm contest. They hold mixed views about the impact of the internet: It enables extremism, while helping the like-minded find each other. It provides diverse sources, but makes it harder to find truthful sources.
More than one-in-five online Americans engaged with the 2010 midterm elections or campaign on Twitter or social networking sites; Republicans -- especially Tea Party supporters -- caught up with Democrats in social media use.
More than a quarter of American adults used their cell phones to learn about or participate in the 2010 midterm election campaign.
The media narrative last week portrayed a weakened president buffeted by events from all sides as the economy reclaimed the No. 1 spot..
Compared with four years ago, there is less excitement and optimism about the victorious party and its plans following the GOP's overwhelmingly successful Election Day. Also, while the public expresses more conservative views about the role of government than it did just two years ago, on major policy decisions that will arise in coming months, opinion is closely divided.
The culmination of the 2010 midterm elections proved to be the biggest weekly story in two years, filling 57% of the newshole.
In today's news landscape, both mainstream and new media sources shape the narrative. A new PEJ study finds that no single unified message reverberated throughout the media universe in the wake of the November 2 voting and what one learned depended largely on where one got the news.
The public's interest in election news did not increase in the final days of the campaign, despite heavy news coverage. While most heard at least a little about the California proposition to legalize marijuana, a majority heard nothing about the Stewart-Colbert rally.
