Political scientist David McLennan on the political environment and the pivotal elections in 2026

 

The headlines are making clear, big and important debates and actions – especially several controversial actions of the Trump administration and its allies — have continued to roil American policy and politics in the New Year. From the health care wars to the widespread immigration crackdowns to a bevy of contentious foreign policy moves, Americans are concerned about the present and future and, in many instances, deeply divided.

It’s the kind of moment that keeps political scientists and pollsters busy as they work to assess the state of public opinion and how it’s likely to impact voting patterns and upcoming elections, and one especially trustworthy monitor of the situation in North Carolina is Meredith College political science professor and pollster David McLennan. And recently, we caught up with McLennan for an extended interview in which we dug into several of these matters.

In Part One of our recent extended conversation with Meredith College political scientist and pollster David McLennan, we examined some of the top issues making political and policy news in the New Year and how they relate to the latest developments we’re seeing in American public opinion and voter registration numbers.

In Part Two of our chat, we continued this conversation, and looked more closely at some of the most controversial issues – including the Trump administration’s national crackdown on immigrants and its controversial foreign policy actions and statements — as well as how these controversies might impact the 2026 elections and, in particular, North Carolina’s highly anticipated U.S. Senate race between former Gov. Roy Cooper and Republican challenger Michael Whatley.