President News & Analysis

What We Can Learn from the 2004 Presidential Race

by Stuart Rothenberg July 12, 2019 · 1:59 PM EDT

Beware of reading too much into presidential polls. Take, for example, the 2004 race.

An August 2003 CNN/USA Today/Gallup national survey found Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, the 2000 Democratic nominee for vice president, leading the party’s presidential field with 23 percent. He was trailed by former House Majority (and Minority)…

Campaign Ad Spending 2020: What’s Your Number?

by Steve Passwaiter June 26, 2019 · 11:00 AM EDT

Most people in politics are intensely focused on President Donald Trump’s polling numbers in battleground states or the latest horse race numbers in the fight for the Democratic presidential nomination. For those of us in the CMAG group at Kantar, it’s that time of the election cycle when everyone is…

Rothenberg: The 2020 Presidential Race is Still Tilting Democratic

by Stuart Rothenberg June 21, 2019 · 8:06 AM EDT

There has been plenty of attention recently on economic models that show President Donald Trump holding a huge advantage in the 2020 presidential contest. But it’s not that simple. 

Like alchemists hunting for the secret recipe that transmutes lead into gold, media personalities, political junkies and veteran analysts seem bewitched…

Upcoming Debates an Important Next Stage in Presidential Campaign

by Nathan L. Gonzales June 14, 2019 · 8:30 AM EDT

In less than two weeks, 20 candidates will take the debate stage in their quest for the Democratic presidential nomination. And with increasing pressure to distinguish themselves from the rest of the pack, some contenders could choose to take the gloves off and attack an opponent, which would have a…

Why a GOP Super PAC is Bothering to Attack Steve Bullock’s Bid for President

by Nathan L. Gonzales June 7, 2019 · 3:44 PM EDT

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock isn’t one of the leading Democratic contenders for the 2020 presidential nomination, but he’s learning how to turn a Republican attack into an asset for his campaign.

On May 29, the GOP-affiliated Senate Leadership Fund started a television ad campaign in the Missoula media market, according…

Oval Office Obsessions From a Crew With Little Experience, Much Ambition

by Stuart Rothenberg May 24, 2019 · 11:44 AM EDT

In the 1960 Democratic presidential race, there were a handful of contenders, including Sens. John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts, Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas, Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota and Stuart Symington of Missouri. Others, including Florida Sen. George Smathers and California Gov. Pat Brown, ran as “favorite sons.”

The 1968…

Biden, Unions and the Politics of 2020

by Stuart Rothenberg May 16, 2019 · 2:32 PM EDT

Shortly after former Vice President Joe Biden announced his candidacy for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, he received his first union endorsement. “I couldn’t be more proud to have the International Association of Fire Fighters on my team,” Biden tweeted in response. “Unions built the middle class in this country…

Arthur Finkelstein Reprised with GOP’s ‘Socialists’ Cries

by Stuart Rothenberg May 7, 2019 · 8:52 AM EDT

If you’re on any Republican list, you’ve undoubtedly received emails from one of the GOP campaign committees or a Capitol Hill communications staffer calling the Democrats “socialists.” To those of us who were around in the 1980s and 1990s, that’s nothing new. We remember the late GOP campaign consultant Arthur…

Republicans Have a Post-Trump Identity Crisis on the Horizon

by Nathan L. Gonzales April 30, 2019 · 8:54 AM EDT

Republicans are enjoying their ride in the White House and basking in the glow of a divided Democratic presidential field, but a monumental identity crisis is looming for the GOP.

Whether you think President Donald Trump won’t be president in two months, two years or six years, Republicans are going…

Amidst Breaking News, Expect the Status Quo to Prevail

by Nathan L. Gonzales April 19, 2019 · 2:29 PM EDT

The Mueller Report is out, the media coverage is saturating, but I’m skeptical that it will fundamentally change the political dynamic. President Donald Trump is a polarizing figure, most voters chose a side before the latest news, and that makes it difficult for any individual event to be a “game-changer.”