Is Newsmax Political Analyst Mark Halperin a Republican or a Democrat?

In the past eight years, American politics have been turned on their head. Once former reality TV star and former President Donald Trump threw his hat into the arena, political norms were upended. Some consider this a good thing. Others, not so much. But one ripple effect consequence of this norm upending is that it's hard to tell which side of the aisle people hail from.

Some die-hard Democrats have come out in support of Republican candidate Trump, while lifelong Republicans are now stumping for presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris. It can be difficult to tell which end is up politically, much less who belongs to which part. So when Newsmax political analyst Mark Halperin begins making bold predictions about the election's outcome, it behooves us to wonder: Is he a Democrat or a Republican? After all, context matters.

Mark has been a political journalist and commentator who first joined the mainstream media churn in 1988, as a commentator for ABC News. Since then, he has worked for Time magazine, MSNBC, and now Newsmax. Mark has predicted a return to the Presidency for Donald Trump if early voting pans out.

During this election cycle, Mark's voice has been everywhere as he lends decades of experience to his analysis of the upcoming election and all it entails. At times, his analyses seem bipartisan. And at other times, less so.

Mark, who was driven from media in 2017 after multiple sexual abuse allegations, avoids labeling himself as either a Republican or a Democrat. He has closely covered Democrats throughout his career, but his actions seem to suggest he's more on the conservative side.

Now that Mark has made a comeback, seven years after leaving mainstream media in disgrace, he's weighing in on the important election that is just weeks away. According to Mark, a story is being pitched to major news outlets that has the potential to end the political campaign of Donald Trump, if it's true.

A so-called "October Surprise" is not a new tactic. In the weeks before the 2016 election, a letter by then-FBI Director James Comey was released 11 days before the election, announcing that an investigation was being opened into then-Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Many believe that the letter single-handedly lost Hillary the election. In the weeks before an election, the dreaded October Surprise can be a Hail Mary effort to change people's minds at the last minute.

Mark, speaking on his YouTube show Morning Meeting with Sean Spicer, says he knows of efforts to deliver such a Surprise that are underway. He explained, "I know of one story ... I don't believe it is true. But if it's true, it would end Donald Trump's campaign."

He added, "What we're seeing in the final days are actors who want a certain outcome ... There are people pitching stuff, and if it were true, it would end his campaign." But Mark tells those planning Trump's campaign not to lose too much sleep because he doesn't see the story blowing up the way some people hope it will.