House News & Analysis

Montana House: Missoula’s Moment

by Jacob Rubashkin August 6, 2021 · 2:29 PM EDT

For the first time in 30 years, Montana is poised to send not one but two people to the House of Representatives. That’s because the state grew 9.6 percent over the last decade, more than the national average and enough to earn back its second congressional seat in the decennial…

Meet Three New (or Likely New) Members of Congress

August 6, 2021 · 2:27 PM EDT

Three House special elections in the last two weeks produced one new lawmaker and two more party nominees who are likely to join him this fall. And with the House so evenly divided, literally every seat and every vote matters.

Mike Carey (R) Ohio’s 15th District

Six Thoughts after the Ohio Special Election Primaries

by Jacob Rubashkin August 4, 2021 · 11:08 AM EDT

Voters in two Ohio congressional districts went to the polls Tuesday to select the Democratic and Republican nominees, who are now significant favorites in the special general elections on November 2. 

In Ohio’s 11th, the Cleveland-based seat most recently held by HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge, Cuyahoga County Councilwoman Shontel Brown…

6 Thoughts After the Texas 6 Special Election Runoff

by Jacob Rubashkin July 29, 2021 · 10:00 AM EDT

Voters in Texas’ 6th District headed to the polls on Tuesday to pick a replacement for GOP Rep. Ron Wright, who died earlier this year after being diagnosed with Covid-19. Both candidates in the race — Ron Wright’s widow Susan Wright and state Rep. Jake Ellzey — were Republicans. They…

Florida 20 Special: Delayed Democratic Successor

by Jacob Rubashkin July 16, 2021 · 2:29 PM EDT

When Rep. Alcee Hastings died of cancer in April, he created a rare vacancy in a South Florida Democratic stronghold after 28 years of service. With no heir apparent waiting in the wings, a large crop of local Democrats quickly announced their candidacies to succeed the former federal judge who’d…

These Four States Could Decide Control of Congress in 2022

by Nathan L. Gonzales June 28, 2021 · 4:46 PM EDT

Sixteen months before Election Day, new House district lines haven’t even been drawn, and yet the fight for Congress is likely to hinge on the outcomes in four critical states.

On a basic level, every state matters in the Senate, considering Republicans need to gain just a single seat to…

Ohio 15 Special: Clash Near Columbus

by Jacob Rubashkin June 18, 2021 · 2:29 PM EDT

When GOP Rep. Steve Stivers announced he would quit Congress just a few months into his sixth term to take a job as the head of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, he reduced House Republicans’ ranks by one, and created a vacancy in his Columbus-area congressional seat that will be…

While You Were Underground: A Political Update for Cicadas

by Nathan L. Gonzales June 17, 2021 · 9:26 AM EDT

After living underground for 17 years, cicadas must find the political world a confusing place. So if you see any perplexed cicadas flying around the Washington area, wondering how things changed since the spring of 2004, just send them a link to this quick update. 

Considering Republicans were in control…

Decline in Ticket-splitting Reaches Beyond Congress

by Nathan L. Gonzales June 15, 2021 · 12:14 PM EDT

While many voters like to think of themselves as independent-minded folks who consider the person before the party, the 2020 election results paint a different picture. Ticket-splitting is on life support.

The scarcity of mismatched seats at the federal level is well documented. Less than 4 percent of House members…

New Mexico 1 Special: Status Quo Results

June 4, 2021 · 2:28 PM EDT

Democrat Melanie Stansbury prevailed in Tuesday’s special election, keeping New Mexico’s 1st District in Democratic hands after Rep. Deb Haaland joined the Biden Administration as Interior Secretary. 

Considering Joe Biden’s big victory over President Donald Trump in the Albuquerque-anchored district in 2020, there wasn’t much of a chance for a…