House News & Analysis
Most emails I receive are fundraising propaganda easily ignored, since they aren’t strong on accuracy or thoughtfulness. Instead, they merely seek to incite and anger — and to get people to open their checkbooks to stop the forces of evil.
But the Monday email I received from the Progressive…
Democrats have a better chance of winning control of the House next year than they did at any time in 2014. That’s true even though they now need to gain 30 seats, almost twice what they needed last year.
No, I’m not suggesting Democrats will win the House in…
Events matter in politics and, for a change, they potentially seem to offer a bit of aid and comfort to President Barack Obama in his upcoming battle with the Republican-controlled Congress.
After an impressive across-the-board victory that included a new Senate majority, gains to the party’s House majority and…
GOP Rep. Chris Gibson of New York is set to announce his retirement on Tuesday, according to two Republican sources.
Gibson won re-election in November in convincing fashion with a 65 percent to 35 percent victory over self-funding Democrat Sean Eldridge. But the open seat should be extremely competitive as…
For political operatives, reporters and junkies there isn’t a more appropriate way to kick off a new year and new election cycle than a special election in New York.
Special elections in the Empire State have became a nearly-annual affair. And thanks to GOP Rep. Michael G. Grimm’s resignation,…
Inside the Beltway, Mike Bost was the unhinged Republican known for his rant on the floor of the Illinois Legislature and for shooting a caged beagle. So how did he defeat a Democratic incumbent by more than 10 points?
What looked like an angry liability to many Washington, D.C.…
It takes quite a feat for a Republican congressman to lose re-election in the middle of a historically-good election for the GOP. But that’s exactly what Nebraska Rep. Lee Terry and Florida Rep. Steve Southerland pulled off in 2014.
Nearly 99 percent of all GOP incumbents seeking re-election in…
Well, we’ve made it through another strange political year — and let’s face it, they are all strange — so it’s time for me to devote another column to picking the best, the worst and the weirdest candidates, campaigns and outcomes of the year.
As always, I will…
Broken campaign promises complicate a politician’s re-election effort, but they don’t have to be fatal.
This cycle, when faced with their own words from a previous campaign, two incumbents utilized different strategies in their quest for another term.
One of the most famous examples of a broken…
Before the holiday, I had a piece on FiveThirtyEight.com talking about so-called "anti-incumbent elections." A couple of excerpts are below but feel free to read the whole piece.
Despite a stunningly low congressional approval rating and many calls to “throw all the bums…