Senate News & Analysis

The Barn Jacket as a Secret Campaign Weapon

by Nathan L. Gonzales June 13, 2013 · 2:53 PM EDT

Election Day is still more than a year away, but Illinois Republican Bruce Rauner is already deploying a popular campaign weapon: the barn jacket.

Rauner released two television ads on Tuesday in his bid to become the next governor in the Prairie State. In “Back to Work,” the…

Search for Anti-Mike Rounds Continues in South Dakota

by Nathan L. Gonzales June 13, 2013 · 9:33 AM EDT

Conservative groups are on the record with their distrust and distaste for former Gov. Mike Rounds in South Dakota, but efforts to find an alternative for the Senate race have come up short so far.

Rounds is the front-runner for the GOP nomination. He’s also the only Republican…

When the Nation Has the Blahs …

by Stuart Rothenberg June 12, 2013 · 9:37 AM EDT

Is the nation suffering from a national case of hypochondria, or are Americans rightly worried about the country’s future?

The answer depends, in part, on your (political) point of view. But it’s also true that every bit of good news — rising home prices, rising stock prices and…

Where Will the Millionaire Cattle Rancher Run in Nebraska?

by Nathan L. Gonzales June 10, 2013 · 9:21 AM EDT

A cattle rancher and a university president get into a Senate race. Sounds like the opening of a bad joke, but it could describe the new political terrain in Nebraska.

Now that GOP Gov. Dave Heineman has declined to run to replace retiring Sen. Mike Johanns, a handful…

New Jersey Senate Remains Safe for Democrats in Long Term

by Nathan L. Gonzales June 4, 2013 · 10:55 AM EDT

For the first time in more than 30 years, there will likely be a Republican senator from New Jersey.

But unless New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, pulls a rabbit out of the hat, it’s likely that Republicans will have the seat only briefly — from six…

Report Shorts (May 31, 2013)

May 31, 2013 · 1:57 PM EDT

Alabama 1. Rep. Jo Bonner (R) announced he would be resigning in August to take a position with the University of Alabama system. He leaves behind a very Republican district that Mitt Romney won with 62 percent in 2012 and John McCain won with 61 percent in 2008. The…

Are Republicans Completely on Board With Gabriel Gomez?

by Stuart Rothenberg May 31, 2013 · 9:53 AM EDT

Republican strategists both associated with and independent of GOP nominee Gabriel Gomez’s campaign are growing increasingly frustrated by what they see as the unwillingness of establishment donors and conservative activists to get fully behind the candidacy of the first-time candidate for Massachusetts Senate.

“Republican donors around the country…

Nebraska Senate: Osborn Likely to Announce Candidacy Soon

by Stuart Rothenberg May 29, 2013 · 10:59 AM EDT

Former Nebraska Treasurer Shane Osborn is likely to announce his candidacy for the Senate within the next few days, according to usually reliable GOP insiders.

While in the Navy, Osborn was detained by the Chinese in 2001 after the plane he was piloting was forced to land following…

Anchorage Mayor Not Running in Alaska Senate Race

by Nathan L. Gonzales May 23, 2013 · 8:39 AM EDT

Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan (R) has no interest in running for the United States Senate in Alaska, according to knowledgeable sources, even though he met with officials at the National Republican Senatorial Committee just last week.

But that doesn’t mean there won’t be a Dan Sullivan in the…

In Massachusetts Senate PPP Poll, Read the Numbers — Not the Memo

by Stuart Rothenberg May 22, 2013 · 2:31 PM EDT

Another public poll, this one from Public Policy Polling, shows a tight race for Senate in Massachusetts. But more interesting is what the Democratic firm does not discuss in its very brief memo about the June 25 special election.

The survey showed Rep. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., leading…