2WAY Tonight with Mark Halperin 2WAY TONIGHT | Mark Halperin on Trump’s Second Term, the Democrats and the Latest Political News
Oct 27, 2026
Mark Penn, CEO of Stagwell and veteran pollster; Joe Cunningham, former South Carolina congressman and author; and Republican strategist Tim Phillips dissect tight Senate races in South Carolina, Texas, Kansas, and Michigan. They explore Trump’s rally power, Latino voter shifts, grassroots organizing, young men turning away from Trump, and the cost-of-living squeeze. New polling tracks inflation anxiety, tariff backlash, congressional momentum, Supreme Court expansion, foreign policy, and early 2028 contenders.
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Why Campaign Ads Got So Aggressive
- Republican campaigns increasingly use profanity and scandal because earned media rewards attention-grabbing attacks.
- Tim Phillips argues such tactics respond to especially aggressive Epstein-based attacks against candidates in Iowa and Nebraska.
Candidates Need One Defining Negative Frame
- Republicans appear to lack one decisive negative frame against several Democratic candidates, instead combining liberal, strange, corrupt, and ideological attacks.
- Mark Halperin says effective campaigns usually concentrate on one dominant weakness, as George W. Bush’s campaign did with John Kerry’s “flip-flopper” image.
Michigan Voters Are Pulled In Two Directions
- Michigan voters are conflicted between punishing Trump over prices and war while rejecting Abdul El-Sayed’s controversial positions.
- The race’s uncertainty reflects cross-pressure among suburban voters and Black voters, making a confident prediction difficult.
