The contemporary American party system is unusually stalemated, as neither Republicans nor Democrats seem capable of building the majority party coalitions that have been the norm throughout American political history. In a new AEI report, Ruy Teixeira and Yuval Levin trace the history of the party system and analyze public and proprietary opinion data to show how either party could build a durable majority and reshape our politics.

One promising opportunity Teixeira and Levin identify for Republicans to grow their support is by embracing a realistic energy agenda as a counter to Democratic climate radicalism. New polling data and analysis from Roger Pielke Jr. and Ruy Teixeira reveal widespread voter skepticism toward a rapid and economically disruptive energy transition.

Inflation, especially on food prices, has been another battle line between the parties, as Donald Trump blames the Biden administration’s fiscal policies, while Kamala Harris accuses businesses of price gouging. In a new AEI report, Vincent H. Smith and Joseph M. Glauber assess the true sources of increased food prices and their impact on American families.

Increased infrastructure spending has been one of the few areas of consistent bipartisanship recently, but poor maintenance, cost overruns, and outdated technology continue to undermine progress. R. Richard Geddes and Joshua Rauh explain how Congress can tackle these issues by incentivizing private investment.

As Iran and Israel trade blows in the Middle East, concerns have grown that the conflict could expand further. Writing in Foreign Affairs, Kenneth M. Pollack provides an overview of the constraints, from physical distance to military capability, that will make it difficult for either party to prosecute an all-out war.