Inside Elections

2016 House Ratings (December 21, 2015)

December 21, 2015 · 4:49 PM EST

Why House Races Still Matter (Even in Safe Districts)

by Nathan L. Gonzales December 21, 2015 · 8:30 AM EST

The media is laser focused on Donald Trump and the presidential race and any scraps of attention are given to the fight for the Senate majority, while House races are deemed irrelevant.

But even though the majority is not in imminent danger, there are at least three reasons to pay attention to…

Colorado Senate: Republicans Waiting for Challenger To Emerge

by Nathan L. Gonzales December 18, 2015 · 3:00 PM EST

Republicans have close to 10 candidates in the Colorado Senate race, but it’s still not clear if they have a challenger who can defeat Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet. 

A recent Politico story, “NRSC chasing new Colorado Senate candidate,” clearly implied that young state Rep. Jon Keyser was the…

Pennsylvania House: Democrats Searching for Key Contenders

by Nathan L. Gonzales December 18, 2015 · 2:59 PM EST

If House Democrats can’t take back some ground in Pennsylvania, it’s not clear where they are going to win enough seats to get back to the majority.

After the 2008 elections, Democrats held 12 of the Keystone State’s 19 congressional seats, as part of their 39-seat majority. Nationally, Democrats…

Presidential Battleground Spotlight: New Hampshire

by Nathan L. Gonzales December 18, 2015 · 2:58 PM EST

All of the focus in New Hampshire is on the Feb. 9 presidential primaries, but the Granite State is poised to be a battleground up and down the ballot in the general election as well. 

With just four electoral votes, it’s the smallest swing state prize, even behind potentially competitive Nevada…

2016 House Ratings (December 18, 2015)

December 18, 2015 · 2:57 PM EST

And the GOP Nominee Will Be…

by Stuart Rothenberg December 18, 2015 · 11:33 AM EST

RealClearPolitics political analyst Sean Trende is one of the clear-eyed, analytic observers of American politics, and I usually find myself nodding in agreement when I read his invariably thoughtful stuff.

That didn’t happen when I was reading his Dec. 10 piece, “Laying Odds on the GOP…

Stu in Review: Dumb Stuff I Wrote This Year

by Stuart Rothenberg December 17, 2015 · 11:52 AM EST

When you write dozens of columns each year, as I have been doing for a long time (some people think far too long), you look back at some of them with embarrassment.

Sure, there are plenty of columns of which I remain proud and that look thoughtful, even prescient (“prescient” is a word I try to…

GOP’s Brand In More Trouble Than Its Candidates

by Stuart Rothenberg December 15, 2015 · 10:03 AM EST

“Political brands are important,” I wrote more than a year and a half ago in a lede that was much less interesting than the entire column. Now, though, I am wondering whether political party brands are so different from soap brands or over-the-counter medicine brands, which loyal consumers often…

Republicans Need More Than More Hispanic Voters to Win White House

by Nathan L. Gonzales December 14, 2015 · 12:50 PM EST

Republicans’ decline with Hispanic voters over the past two presidential races is undeniable and improvement with the growing demographic is an imperative to improve the party’s White House prospects. But a new interactive tool helps demonstrate that the GOP’s Electoral College challenge goes well…