President 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…

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…

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…

The He Said, She Said of Gun Control: Get Over It

by Stuart Rothenberg April 24, 2013 · 11:34 AM EDT

The deep disappointment coming from the White House, gun control advocates and the parents of Newtown, Conn., at the demise of the Manchin-Toomey Senate compromise gun bill is understandable. But some of the rhetoric following the amendment’s defeat has been over the top.

Supporters of stricter gun control…

Five Takeaways From the New NBC/WSJ Poll

by Stuart Rothenberg April 14, 2013 · 9:30 AM EDT

A few observations on the new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll:

  • This is the first time the president’s job approval numbers have been “upside down” — more people disapproving than approving — since June 2012.
  • After spiking around the election, the right direction/wrong track numbers…

New Jobs Numbers Raise Economic — and Political — Questions

by Stuart Rothenberg April 6, 2013 · 10:00 AM EDT

The jobs numbers just reported for March — an increase of only 88,000 jobs — are horrendous, especially coming after February’s strong job surge (236,000 new jobs revised up to 268,000).

Forget the unemployment rate sliding from 7.7 percent to 7.6 percent. As The Associated Press noted,…

The Fat Lady Sings on Gun Control, 2013 Edition

by Stuart Rothenberg March 28, 2013 · 3:23 PM EDT

Whether you are a staunch supporter of the National Rifle Association or an enthusiastic backer of the effort by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and California Sen. Dianne Feinstein for stronger gun control laws, it now should be clear who is winning — indeed, who has won —…

The GOP: A Party Increasingly at Odds With Itself

by Stuart Rothenberg March 22, 2013 · 10:41 AM EDT

“I am not a member of any organized party — I am a Democrat,” humorist Will Rogers said many years ago. But if Rogers were alive today, he’d undoubtedly see his party as a model of organization and unity when compared to the GOP.

The Republican Party continues…

Looking to 2016: Is It Still Either Bush or Rubio?

by Stuart Rothenberg March 12, 2013 · 3:30 PM EDT

As former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush continues to do nothing to end speculation that he might run for president in 2016, his Florida ally, Sen. Marco Rubio, twists in the wind.

Florida and national insiders have been operating under the assumption that the two Florida Republicans would never…

Bloomberg’s Much Ado About Nothing Much

by Stuart Rothenberg March 1, 2013 · 9:43 AM EST

The strategy was pretty clear from the start.

Pick a fight in a place where you have a substantial advantage and where almost nobody else is playing, dump a ton of money attacking one candidate and supporting another, and then declare victory when — surprise! surprise! — your…