Senate News & Analysis

Let’s Poke Holes in the ‘Anti-Incumbent’ Hype

June 18, 2010 · 3:00 PM EDT

My heart sank when I saw my friend Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post write about this cycle’s elections and whether they really deserved the “anti-incumbent” moniker that they have received. Damn it, I thought, there goes another half-written column that I have to toss into the trash.

But Chris…

Melancon Takes On a Second Opponent: BP

by Nathan L. Gonzales June 17, 2010 · 1:44 PM EDT

Rep. Charlie Melancon hasn’t made much headway in his contest against Sen. David Vitter (R) over the past seven months, but now the Democrat has a new enemy in the Louisiana Senate race: BP.

With oil from the Deepwater Horizon leak threatening the shores and marshes of his…

Is Reid Better Off Than He Was a Week Ago?

by Stuart Rothenberg June 16, 2010 · 9:00 AM EDT

The post-Nevada primary chorus was loud and clear last week after former state Assemblywoman Sharron Angle won the GOP Senate primary and the right to face Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) in November.

Everyone seems to think that Reid is measurably better off now than he was…

June 11, 2010 Senate Overview

by Stuart Rothenberg June 11, 2010 · 3:00 PM EDT

Democrats and Republicans are each defending 18 seats going into the fall elections, but the national landscape has tilted the battlefield dramatically to the Republicans’ advantage. If the focus in November is on unemployment and the failure of the Obama Administration to handle big issues (e.g., the economy, the…

In the Delta, Everyone’s Buzzing About Barbour

by Stuart Rothenberg June 10, 2010 · 8:59 AM EDT

GREENVILLE, Miss. — Politically interested folks in the Mississippi Delta spent the last few days of May wondering about whether Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln will survive today’s Democratic runoff against Lt. Gov. Bill Halter and whether Democratic Rep. Travis Childers of Mississippi’s 1st district can win in a Republican…

Tuesday Showed It’s Wise to Expect Unexpected

May 21, 2010 · 11:33 AM EDT

What a really weird week.

Rep. Mark Souder, a socially conservative Republican from Indiana, admits he had an affair with a staffer and steps down from his seat. Squeaky-clean Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal (D) admits he “misspoke” about his military record but says he won’t allow anyone…

Is It Time for Democrats to Shove Giannoulias Out?

by Stuart Rothenberg May 20, 2010 · 9:00 AM EDT

The clock is starting to run out on Democrats who would like Illinois state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias out of his state’s Senate race in favor of a more electable candidate.

Given the sensitivity of such a scenario, it’s no wonder that Democrats don’t want to be anywhere near…

GOP Still Shy of Races in Play to Win Majority

May 18, 2010 · 3:00 PM EDT

With less than six months until voters go to the polls, almost all of the most vulnerable Senate seats this cycle are in Democratic hands — creating an unexpected wealth of opportunities for the GOP, which just 12 months ago was headed for additional Senate losses.

But the…

Democrats Are Not as Desperate in the Senate

May 18, 2010 · 9:00 AM EDT

One year ago, Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter switched parties and gave Democrats 60 seats in the Senate. President Barack Obama and his party were riding high in Washington, and an early batch of Republican retirements gave Democrats an opportunity to expand their majority, even in the midterm elections.

Some Race Results Matter More Than Others

May 14, 2010 · 9:00 AM EDT

This year, it’s harder than ever to distinguish what really matters from what doesn’t. Special situations are adding to the confusion, as is a fickle public, which is showing a willingness to change its positions in the blink of an eye.

In Hawaii’s special Congressional election to fill…