Kevin Coogan

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You are here: Home / Big Data / US Midterms — Summary of Forecasts

US Midterms — Summary of Forecasts

November 5, 2018 by Kevin Coogan

There are many forecasts for the current Midterms.  In the following table, three forecasts based on single variables and 10 forecasts from forecasters are presented.

 

Table 1:  List of Forecasts of 2018 US Midterms, House of Representatives, by number of seats

Source Type Democrats Republicans Majority
538.com (1) Forecaster 234 201 D + 16
Generic National Poll (3) Single Variable 233 202 D + 15
Optimus (2) Forecaster 232 203 D + 14
Historical Norm (3) Single Variable 230 205 D + 12
President Approval Rating (3) Single Variable 230 205 D + 12
Cook Political Report (2) Forecaster 229 206 D + 11
CNN Forecaster 226 209 D + 8
Inside Elections (2) Forecaster 224 211 D + 6
Crosstabs (2) Forecaster 223 212 D + 5
Sabato’s Crystal Ball (2) Forecaster 223 212 D + 5
Politico (2) Forecaster 222 213 D + 4
Daily Kos (2) Forecaster 220 215 D + 2
Coogan / ZettaCap (4) Forecaster 214 221 R + 3
  1. For 538.com, the Average of the distribution of forecasts was used for the ‘Classic’ forecast method.
  2. For these forecasters, all forecasts even slightly leaning towards a party was considered a positive forecast for that party. Toss-ups were distributed pro-rata between the parties.
  3. These single variables were used to forecast current election results based on patterns from previous elections.
  4. Using ZettaCap data and Social Media Influence (SMI), these forecasts are the only ones presented here based exclusively on social media data.

 

For all the discussion of a Red or Blue Wave, this election looks very tight.  The most bullish forecast for Democrats is that from 538.com, which would produce a 16 seat Democratic majority.  By historical standards, such a result would not be extraordinary.  In fact, it would land more or less in-line with an average performance of a first-term president during his first Midterms.  The most Democratic friendly forecast by no means qualifies as a Blue Wave.

The most bullish forecast for Republicans is that from ZettaCap, which would produce a slight 3 seat majority for Republicans.  This again does not qualify as a wave of any sort, though by historical standards the president’s party maintaining power of the House and losing significantly less seats than the average would in effect be a major victory.

 

Filed Under: Big Data, Forecasts, Polls, Social Media Analysis, Social Media Influence Tagged With: forecasts, Midterms, SMI, social media influence

Kevin Coogan is the founder of zettacap and amalgamood, and is a former hedge fund manager. www.linkedin.com/in/kjcoogan

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