House News & Analysis

1998 Civility Promises Seem Like Long Ago

by Stuart Rothenberg December 9, 2010 · 9:35 AM EST

It has been a dozen years since then-Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Martin Frost (Texas) and then-National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman John Linder (Ga.) agreed to a cease-fire on “personal attacks” by the campaign committees.

Yes, you read that correctly — a cease-fire on personal attacks.

“The…

Well, That was Quite an Election, Wasn’t It?

by Stuart Rothenberg December 3, 2010 · 4:01 PM EST

I know, everything has been said about the 2010 midterm elections but not everyone has said it. Don’t worry. I’ll be brief.

The exit polls showed movement toward the GOP by most demographic groups. Independent voters went strongly Republican (by 18 percentage points), thereby reversing their 2008 and…

Maryland 1: Wave Hits the Eastern Shore

by Nathan L. Gonzales December 3, 2010 · 4:00 PM EST

Democrat Frank Kratovil and Republican Andy Harris faced off in Maryland’s 1st District in both 2008 and 2010, but the results couldn’t be any more different. The two outcomes offer a window into the differences between the national Democratic wave years of 2006 and 2008 and the GOP wave…

Democrats Made a Mountain Out of a Molehill

by Stuart Rothenberg December 2, 2010 · 11:06 AM EST

“In retrospect, the die may have been cast for the November elections on May 19, 2010,” Republican consultant Brad Todd said, pointing to the day after the special election in Pennsylvania’s 12th district.

Todd, who is a close adviser to National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (Texas)…

Democratic Attacks Fell on Deaf Ears This Fall

by Nathan L. Gonzales December 1, 2010 · 5:30 PM EST

For most of the election cycle, Democratic strategists were optimistic they could hold the House because of their arsenal of opposition research. But Democratic attacks failed to bring down enough Republican challengers to keep the majority.

Democrats thought GOP challengers were simply too flawed to be acceptable alternatives…

Ohio Blowout Raises Red Flag for Democrats

by Stuart Rothenberg November 23, 2010 · 10:06 AM EST

A little more than a year ago, I wrote a column in this space (Will the Buckeye State Swing Back to the GOP in 2010?, Oct. 22, 2009) that noted Ohio’s bellwether reputation and suggested the state could see a major effort by a rejuvenated Republican Party to…

Most Outrageous, Absurd Candidates of 2010

by Stuart Rothenberg November 19, 2010 · 3:43 PM EST

Every election cycle, a few candidates and campaigns stand out as remarkable for their absurdity, their outrageousness, their futility or their sheer gall. They need to be recognized.

No, I’m not talking about a campaign that proves to be remarkable for its weak fundraising (such as Ohio Democratic…

Democrats Lost the Faith of Religious Voters

by Nathan L. Gonzales November 18, 2010 · 10:06 AM EST

Ever since Barack Obama uttered the words “awesome God” in his 2004 convention speech, Democrats embarked on a multiyear journey to convince voters of faith. But any inroads Democrats made with religious voters over the past four years were essentially washed away in this year’s midterm elections.

Voters…

Messages Sent by ’10 Voters Weren’t ‘Either-Or’

by Stuart Rothenberg November 17, 2010 · 11:21 AM EST

As Republicans, Democrats and journalists discuss the meaning of this year’s midterm elections, it’s become clear to me that many of questions they ponder present false choices that obscure the lessons of Nov. 2. Here are some of them:

Question No. 1: Were the 2010 midterms “about” jobs…

Post-2010, Face of Both Parties Is A-Changing

by Stuart Rothenberg November 10, 2010 · 8:00 AM EST

Elections both reflect a political party’s appeal and create a new face that ultimately recasts that image. And the midterm elections of 2010 are no exception.

For Democrats, “diversity” has been about ideology and region recently — proving to Americans that the party isn’t a bunch of liberals…