Archive

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…

Nebraska and Hawaii: Studying Senate Handicapping

by Stuart Rothenberg March 7, 2012 · 8:00 AM EST

There is no single “right” way to handicap a race.

You can evaluate where the race is at a particular moment and “rate” what you see. Or, after noting the candidates’ current standing, you can make an informed projection about how the race will play out, changing your rating if and when events…

Republican Roller Coaster Ride Continues

by Stuart Rothenberg March 2, 2012 · 1:54 PM EST

Has the Republican race reached a tipping point, with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney re-establishing himself as the solid favorite for the Republican nomination and former Sen. Rick Santorum (Pa.) and former Speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.) slipping awfully close to the “long shot” category?…

Latino Prospects in Senate Dwindle

by Nathan L. Gonzales March 1, 2012 · 1:47 PM EST

Latinos are growing into a powerful voting bloc, but there is the real possibility that the U.S. Senate won’t have any additional Hispanics next year.

Last year, a handful of Latinos had an opportunity to get elected and join Florida’s Marco Rubio and New Jersey’s Bob Menendez as the only…

Nebraska Senate: Back to Republican Favored After Kerrey Decision

February 29, 2012 · 3:26 PM EST

Former Sen. Bob Kerrey’s last-minute reversal to get into the Nebraska Senate race is reason to re-evaluate our rating.

In the last week’s edition of RPR, we moved the Nebraska race to Safe for the Republicans based on the lack of credible Democratic candidates, but we also wrote that Kerrey,…

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 overhaul…

2012 House Ratings (February 29, 2012)

February 29, 2012 · 12:14 PM EST

Claire McCaskill’s Mountain: A Tough Climb to Victory

by Stuart Rothenberg February 29, 2012 · 8:15 AM EST

Sen. Claire McCaskill (Mo.) knows exactly where she needs to be positioned. And she has done about as good a job as possible to sell herself to Show-Me State voters as an “independent” Democrat who doesn’t always agree with her party or her president.

But even veteran party operatives agree…

Snowe’s Decision Shakes Senate Landscape

February 28, 2012 · 6:14 PM EST

Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe’s surprise retirement announcement on Tuesday dramatically shifts her Maine seat from the Safe Republican column and places it firmly in the center of the fight for the Senate majority.

The moderate Snowe had burnished her own independent credentials so deeply that…