Archive

If Republicans Fail to Win the House, Look Behind the ‘Eight’ Ball

April 19, 2010 · 9:00 AM EDT

I’ve always said that the party campaign committees usually get too much credit for success and too much blame for failure, so I’m certainly not pointing fingers in this column. But if Republicans fall a handful of seats short of taking over the House in the fall midterms, it could be because of…

New House Ratings: 44 Seats Moved Toward GOP

April 16, 2010 · 12:20 AM EDT

We are still seven months until the midterm elections, so there is at least some possibility that the landscape could shift or that Democratic attacks on the GOP could keep Republican gains down to a minimum.

Substantial Republican gains are inevitable, with net Democratic losses now looking to…

Turnout in Virginia, N.J. Could Be a Big Problem for Democrats

April 13, 2010 · 9:00 AM EDT

We’ve all been reminded repeatedly that Democrats face problems this year because of both the normal drop in midterm turnout and the mix of voters in nonpresidential years (See my “Democrats Face Challenges in Key Districts in 2010,” June 4, 2009). But those national problems will be magnified in…

Michigan 1 Moved to Toss-Up

April 9, 2010 · 3:15 PM EDT

Michigan Cong. Bart Stupak’s (D) retirement creates another open seat opportunity for the Republicans. The 1st District is competitive, but in this political climate, Republicans may have the slight edge. Since the seat has been open for all of a few hours, it will take a few weeks for the…

April 9, 2010 House Overview

April 9, 2010 · 3:00 PM EDT

Democrats now have an accomplishment with the passage of health care reform, but it’s far from clear that it dramatically enhances their prospects for the fall, as some of their officeholders and supporters argue.

Polling still shows the public dissatisfied with the country’s direction and with…

PA Senate Polling: Burn After Reading?

by Nathan L. Gonzales April 9, 2010 · 9:00 AM EDT

With the proliferation of polling this cycle, political junkies, journalists and party strategists are swimming in a sea of numbers. With each new survey that is released, the party that is ahead touts the results while the party that trails disparages and discounts the pollster. Rinse and…

Cuomo Endorses Castle?

April 8, 2010 · 4:00 PM EDT

Doing a little spring cleaning this week, I came across New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s book, Crossroads: The Future of American Politics, written and edited in the wake of Cuomo’s primary loss in the 2002 gubernatorial race.

Since he is the heavy favorite to win the Empire State’s…

Florida Senate: Should Charlie Crist Roll the Dice to Save Long-Shot Bid?

by Stuart Rothenberg April 6, 2010 · 9:00 AM EDT

In less than a month, we will know whether Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is absolutely committed to running for the Senate this year as a Republican.

Crist, of course, says the matter is closed — that he is in the GOP race to stay. But some observers won’t be convinced until the filing deadline…

The John Nuttings: Opening Day Roster

April 5, 2010 · 4:17 PM EDT

If you’re at all familiar with The Rothenberg Political Report, you know that there are very few things that are more important to us than politics, but baseball is one of them.

Stu and I each have our own fantasy teams, but we also join forces to co-general manage a team together. Over the last…

Democrats Tap O’Shea to Head Redistricting Trust

April 3, 2010 · 9:00 AM EDT

Former Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee National Field Director Casey O’Shea will be the new executive director of the National Democratic Redistricting Trust.

Democrats are making the change after former Executive Director Brian Smoot shifted over to run the Democratic Senatorial…