Senate News & Analysis

Ratings Change: Connecticut Senate Gets Less Safe

by Stuart Rothenberg July 13, 2012 · 12:56 AM EDT

Republican Senate nominee Linda McMahon spent $50 million in the GOP primary and general election last cycle to win just over 43 percent of the vote, so it isn’t surprising that we began with some skepticism about the businesswoman’s desire to run again this cycle.

McMahon’s 12-point loss…

Ratings Change: Maine Senate Moves Toward Democrats, Sort of

by Stuart Rothenberg July 13, 2012 · 12:54 AM EDT

Maine’s primaries are now history, so the three-way race for Senator Olympia Snowe’s open Senate seat has finally come into focus – sort of.

Republicans hope Secretary of State Charlie Summers (R) can win a multi-candidate contest, following the model of how former Waterville mayor Paul LePage (R)…

Nevada Senate: Game Change?

July 13, 2012 · 12:53 AM EDT

The House Ethics Committee’s decision to formally investigate Rep. Shelley Berkley (D) has the potential to shift one of the most competitive Senate races in the country toward the Republicans.

The bipartisan committee is looking into whether Berkley inappropriately used her office to support policies that benefited her…

Campaigns to Compete for Ads During Olympic Games

by Nathan L. Gonzales July 12, 2012 · 9:35 AM EDT

There’s good news on the horizon for attention-deprived candidates: Millions of voters will soon be glued to their television screens in a normally dead time for campaign advertising.

The bad news is that it’s the Summer Olympics, and candidates and outside groups will have to spend a premium…

Wisconsin Senate Race Will Be Test of Political Mood

by Stuart Rothenberg July 11, 2012 · 10:17 AM EDT

Wisconsin has drawn plenty of attention recently, first because of the recall election of Gov. Scott Walker (R) and then because it is one of a handful of swing states in the 2012 presidential election.

But it is the Senate race for retiring Democrat Herb Kohl’s seat that…

Fall Elections Shape Future Rosters

by Nathan L. Gonzales July 1, 2012 · 11:00 AM EDT

Pulled muscles and back injuries are nothing compared to the devastation the fall elections could inflict on the rosters for the 2013 edition of the CQ Roll Call Congressional Baseball Game.

This year could be the final game for more than a dozen Members of Congress who face…

Utah Senate: Hatch Finishes Off Challenger

by Nathan L. Gonzales June 27, 2012 · 11:59 AM EDT

Orrin Hatch captured the GOP nomination, and a seventh term in the Senate, on Tuesday by defeating former state Sen. Dan Liljenquist, 67 percent to 32 percent.

Hatch nearly secured the nomination outright at the April convention, but fell just short of 60 percent of the delegates necessary.…

Senate Majority Still Up for Grabs in November

by Stuart Rothenberg June 22, 2012 · 11:42 AM EDT

A slew of retirements and a changing presidential election landscape have made for some ups and downs for the two parties in this year’s fight for the Senate. But the basic contours of the cycle remain the same: The Senate is up for grabs in November.

Republicans who…

Arizona Senate: There’s a Wil, There Might be a Way

by Nathan L. Gonzales June 15, 2012 · 11:58 AM EDT

Richard Carmona has to be the only candidate in the country disavowing his connection to President Obama while also touting his ties to former President Bush. And that’s the least interesting part of his biography.

Democrats are in the midst of an intense love affair with their Senate…

Senate Primaries: Match-Ups Set in Four Key States

by Nathan L. Gonzales June 13, 2012 · 11:43 AM EDT

No surprises in yesterday’s Senate primaries, but general election matchups are set in four key states: Maine, North Dakota, Nevada and Virginia.

The most interesting result of the night may have been in Maine, where state Sen. Cynthia Dill secured the Democratic nomination with about 45 percent in…