House News & Analysis

Redistricting’s Bottom Line

by Stuart Rothenberg March 20, 2012 · 1:58 PM EDT

Writing an analysis calculating the final result of redistricting is a little like putting a sign on your back that reads “kick me.”

No matter how methodical and dispassionate you try to be, you are forced to make plenty of subjective judgments, guaranteeing that you will be second-guessed…

No Surprises in Alabama and Mississippi Primaries

by Jessica Taylor March 14, 2012 · 5:20 PM EDT

The supposed anti-incumbent wave that started last week in Ohio stopped on Tuesday in the heart of Dixie.

While five incumbents faced varying degrees of primary challenges in Alabama and Mississippi, each turned away their intraparty challenge with relative ease and avoided runoffs. All occupy safe seats ahead…

Democrats Face Ideological House Primaries

by Stuart Rothenberg March 14, 2012 · 10:55 AM EDT

It’s not at all surprising, given the media’s concentration on the fight for the heart and soul of the Republican Party between tea party conservatives and the GOP’s more pragmatic conservative wing, that most journalists have completely ignored the ideological fights within the Democratic Party this year.

But…

Utah Primaries: Power to the Precincts

by Nathan L. Gonzales March 9, 2012 · 2:00 PM EST

Utah’s primary isn’t for another three months, but Sen. Orrin Hatch’s electoral fate could be sealed next week.

The six-term GOP senator is trying to avoid following in the footsteps of his colleague, Bob Bennett, who not only lost reelection in 2010, but failed to make it out…

North Carolina: Democrats Feeling Tar Heel Blue

by Jessica Taylor March 9, 2012 · 1:59 PM EST

California, Texas and Florida get the most of the attention when it comes to redistricting, but Republican efforts in North Carolina could be a key state in keeping their party in the majority.

By decreasing the Republican percentage in districts they already control, the GOP was able to…

Ohio Primaries: Two Incumbents Fall, But Beware of the Anti-Incumbent Hype

by Jessica Taylor March 7, 2012 · 12:54 PM EST

Republican cartographers guaranteed that one incumbent would lose in Tuesday’s primaries in Ohio when they drew two Democratic Members into the same district. But few people expected Republicans to lose one of their own.

In the 9th District, Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur handily defeated her colleague,…

New Texas Map: Democrats Hoped for More Than Split Decision

by Jessica Taylor February 29, 2012 · 12:20 PM EST

The topsy-turvy Texas redistricting saga appears to be approaching toward a conclusion – for now. On Tuesday, a San Antonio federal court panel released a new map that is expected to be in place for the 2012 elections, but there’s still the possibility that the lines could undergo an…

Minnesota Map Nice for Status Quo

by Jessica Taylor February 21, 2012 · 4:56 PM EST

One of the remaining pieces of the redistricting puzzle was revealed Tuesday, with a Minnesota judicial panel releasing a new map that only slightly changes the state’s congressional boundaries but still leaves freshman Republican Chip Cravaack as the top target in 2012.

The new lines also put GOP…

Maryland 6: Let Bartlett Be Bartlett

by Jessica Taylor February 10, 2012 · 2:59 PM EST

Sharp and feisty, even at age 85, ten-term Maryland Republican Roscoe Bartlett doesn’t seem like he’d be one of Democrats’ top targets in 2012. After all, he’s been an unassuming, if not quirky, force in the House, and he’s cruised to reelection since he was first elected in 1992.

Arizona 8: Special Occasion

by Jessica Taylor February 10, 2012 · 2:57 PM EST

The upcoming Arizona special election is one that party strategists have been afraid of for more than a year, since no one wanted to vocalize even the possibility of having to fill a vacancy for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

As the three-term Democratic congresswoman continued her recovery following the…