Archive

North Carolina Senate: Life After Hagan

by Nathan L. Gonzales July 2, 2015 · 2:30 PM EDT

Democrats lost a whopping nine Senate seats in 2014, but few hurt more than North Carolina. At least the party doesn’t have to wait long before trying to avenge that defeat. 

Over the last few years, the Tar Heel State and its GOP-led Legislature has become a symbol of Republican overreach to…

Pennsylvania 6: Suburban Districts Elude Democrats

by Nathan L. Gonzales July 2, 2015 · 2:29 PM EDT

It’s hard to see how Democrats get anywhere near a House majority again without gaining ground in suburban and exurban districts. But the party’s difficulty in a trio of districts in Southeast Pennsylvania is a prime example of Democrats’ challenge. 

The Republicans’ grip on the 6th, 7th, and 8th…

When the Second Time Isn’t the Charm

by Stuart Rothenberg July 2, 2015 · 8:30 AM EDT

I feel bad for Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee and Rick Perry. They are presidential retreads at a moment when anything that is more than an hour or two old is passé.

John McCain was a retread in 2008 (having lost a bid for the GOP nomination in 2000), as was Mitt Romney four years later. Ronald…

Does Scott Walker Have What It Takes to Win in 2016?

by Stuart Rothenberg June 26, 2015 · 10:37 AM EDT

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is widely viewed as a top-tier hopeful for the GOP presidential nomination. But it’s less clear he has the right profile to knock off the likely Democratic nominee, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Walker’s strength in the nomination race comes from his…

Yarmuth Retirement Rumor Offers Window Into Future

by Nathan L. Gonzales June 25, 2015 · 10:02 AM EDT

Rumors that Kentucky Rep. John Yarmuth was poised to retire or resign were hot and heavy right up until the moment the Democratic congressman announced his re-election bid on Monday. But the public uncertainty provided a brief glimpse into what the race to replace him might look like when he…

The Iowa Straw Poll: Put a Stake Through Its Heart

by Stuart Rothenberg June 22, 2015 · 9:30 AM EDT

The Iowa Straw Poll is dead for 2015. Let’s hope it doesn’t resurrect its ugly head for the 2020 cycle and beyond.

Almost four years ago I wrote a column, “The Nothingness of the Iowa Straw Poll,” in which I disclosed that I had canceled my trip to cover the 2011 straw poll.

Given the decisions…

Roll Call at the Big 6-0

by Stuart Rothenberg June 18, 2015 · 10:00 AM EDT

During my 23 years at Roll Call (my first column was published on June 11, 1992), I’ve seen many changes at the newspaper. It has been forced to evolve because journalism has changed more radically than any of us could have imagined.

Politics, too, has changed. In the summer of 1992, we still…

Michigan 7: Democrats Target Walberg (Again)

by Nathan L. Gonzales June 17, 2015 · 3:00 PM EDT

Democrats knocked off GOP Rep. Tim Walberg in one historic presidential election cycle and hope they can do it again in 2016. 

Walberg is one of those Republican incumbents that Democrats love to hate. They don’t like how he defeated a moderate Republican in a primary, how Walberg knocked off one…

Report Shorts (June 17, 2015) Colorado Senate, Georgia Senate, Indiana Senate, Nevada Senate

June 17, 2015 · 2:59 PM EDT

Colorado Senate. Rep. Mike Coffman (R) announced his decision to seek re-election, disappointing the NRSC but making the NRCC happy because his 6th District would have been difficult to defend without him.

Senate Republicans are still searching for a candidate. Potential GOP challengers include…