NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter join Geoff Bennett to discuss the latest political news, including where Democratic primary voters stand this election year. <\/p>\n
GEOFF BENNETT, PBS NEWSHOUR: Voters head to the polls tomorrow in six states. For more on the races to watch this week, we turn now to our Politics Monday duo. That’s Amy Walter of The Cook Political Report With Amy Walter and Tamara Keith of NPR. It’s always great to see you both. So, Amy, I will start with you, because Michigan Democrats, they spent the weekend trying to mend fences after a bruising Senate primary. Now you have Michigan — or, rather Minnesota, and we were talking earlier about how hard it is to keep all this straight. Now you have Minnesota and Wisconsin Democrats. They might soon have to do the same after a tough primary to come. The question is, how much do these tough primaries matter once you get to the general? AMY WALTER, COOK POLITICAL REPORT: Well, I think for bringing the Democratic base together, no one is better and more helpful to Democrats than Donald Trump. He is the great unifier and organizer of the disparate factions within the Democratic Party. I think the challenge, especially in a state like Michigan or Wisconsin, which are swing states — now, they are bluer today, in part because Donald Trump is much less popular in those states today than he was in 2024, let’s say. But if the election in those races is about Donald Trump, and that’s the focus of the election and the economy and frustration about it, that’s beneficial to Democrats. The challenge with Michigan and potentially Wisconsin is that the conversation is also going to be about the liabilities of the Democrat. So it’s no longer just a referendum on an unpopular president.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n