House News & Analysis

Democrats Focus on Open Seats, Weak Incumbents for House Bright Spots

by Nathan L. Gonzales October 3, 2014 · 2:29 PM EDT

It’s no secret that Democrats have virtually no chance of taking back the House next month, but there are a handful of districts where victory could make the rest of the night easier to swallow. 

Democrats have zeroed in on a quartet of competitive Republican open seats including…

Shift in Landscape Makes Bigger GOP House Gains Possible

by Stuart Rothenberg October 1, 2014 · 3:31 PM EDT

Only three times since the Civil War, as any political junkie knows, has the president’s party gained House seats in midterm elections — in 1934, 1998 and 2002. It now seems quite clear 2014 won’t be another exception to that rule.

But a year and a half ago,…

The Election Results Don’t Matter

by Nathan L. Gonzales September 24, 2014 · 4:59 PM EDT

What happens in this year’s midterm elections doesn’t matter. What elected officials and party strategists think happened, will carry far more weight into the next Congress and the 2016 elections.

What if Republicans win control of the Senate and expand their majority in the House?

It will…

Republicans Ready to Add to House Majority

by Nathan L. Gonzales September 24, 2014 · 4:58 PM EDT

Republicans are likely to gain seats in the House this November, we just don’t know how many quite yet.

President Barack Obama’s job approval numbers continue to decline in a midterm election when voters will likely be open to a check-and-balance argument from Republicans. And the Democratic advantage…

The Amazingly Static House Playing Field

by Nathan L. Gonzales September 19, 2014 · 9:37 AM EDT

After a year of campaigning, television ads, a government shutdown, and a botched rollout of HealthCare.gov, the House playing field is virtually unchanged from where it was 12 months ago.

We recently updated the Rothenberg Political Report ratings in seven House districts. Arizona’s 1st District, Maine’s 2nd District,…

The Republican Brand’s Recovery Tour — Sort Of

by Stuart Rothenberg September 17, 2014 · 11:19 AM EDT

There was a time, a little less than a year ago, when Democrats salivated at the thought of running against the GOP brand and demonizing Republican candidates by attacking them and their party for “shutting down the government.”

But the Republican brand has largely recovered from its low…

Will Women Lose Ground in the House GOP After 2014?

by Nathan L. Gonzales September 16, 2014 · 12:10 PM EDT

Republicans are at virtually no risk of losing their House majority in November, but there is a little extra pressure to win a handful of key districts in order to avoid taking a step back in the number of women in the Republican conference.

Republicans have been on…

A National Election or a Localized One?

by Stuart Rothenberg September 12, 2014 · 4:30 PM EDT

Our House and Senate ratings continue to reflect state-level and district-level surveys, as well as the fundamentals of each contest. But as we all know, midterm elections sometimes become referenda on the sitting president. When that happens, if the electorate’s mood is angry and dissatisfied with the president’s performance,…

Putting House Expectations Into Context

by Nathan L. Gonzales September 12, 2014 · 4:29 PM EDT

“Republicans are on track to expand their majority by only five or six seats, or roughly half their goal,” according to a Politico piece, “Halfway House: GOP falling short in midterms,” published earlier this month.

“From a historic perspective, a five- or six-seat gain would be…

The Best Ads of 2014 – Oh Really?

by Stuart Rothenberg September 11, 2014 · 1:02 PM EDT

A few weeks ago, I noticed a piece in Time headlined “The Best 6 Political Campaign Ads of the Summer (So Far).”

I’ve written columns about “the best” this or “the worst” that, so I’m certainly not opposed to columns that list personal assessments or even personal…