House News & Analysis

Florida 13: Young’s Retirement Creates More Competitive Contest

by Nathan L. Gonzales October 10, 2013 · 11:22 AM EDT

For those of us who follow congressional races for a living, Rep. C.W. Bill Young retirement rumors had become a running joke.

But even a broken clock is right twice a day, and talk of a Young retirement finally proved right this time. The Florida Republican’s decision to…

Shutdown Fever: Is the House in Play Now?

by Stuart Rothenberg October 9, 2013 · 10:03 AM EDT

On Sunday, a Huffington Post headline screamed what most Democrats were hoping: “GOP In Grave Danger Of Losing House In 2014, PPP Polls Show.” Of course, anything coming from Democratic pollster Public Policy Polling and MoveOn.org Political Action, which paid for the surveys, must be taken with at least…

Marriage Equality and New York’s 19th District

by Nathan L. Gonzales October 3, 2013 · 10:12 AM EDT

Last week, Democratic activist Sean Eldridge officially announced his run in New York’s 19th District against GOP Rep. Chris Gibson.

But there was one glaring issue left out of his nearly-three-minute introductory Web video: marriage equality.

The omission was noteworthy because Eldridge, who is gay and…

OMG!!! A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN. Or Maybe Not

by Stuart Rothenberg September 28, 2013 · 10:09 PM EDT

Once again, Henny Penny is running around to warn us that the sky is falling. A government shutdown is only [fill in the blank] days, [fill in the blank] hours and [fill in the blank] minutes away. The countdown clock shows the seconds ticking by. The end is near.

Fight for House Could Hinge on GOP Civil War

by Stuart Rothenberg September 27, 2013 · 3:00 PM EDT

One year from now, House Democrats and Republicans will be fighting it out during the crucial stretch run up to the midterm elections. But what happens over the next month on Capitol Hill could well have more impact on those election results than what happens next September.

At…

2014 House Overview (September 27, 2013) Alabama - Indiana

September 27, 2013 · 2:59 PM EDT

Alabama (6 Republicans, 1 Democrat)
AL 1 (Open; Bonner, R). Special Election. November 5 Run-off, December 17 general election. Jo Bonner resigned from Congress in mid-August in order to take a position with the University of Alabama system. Former state senator/2012 gubernatorial candidate Bradley Byrne (35 percent) and…

2014 House Overview (September 27, 2013) Iowa - Oklahoma

September 27, 2013 · 2:58 PM EDT

Iowa (2R, 2D)
IA 1 (Open; Braley, D). Bruce Braley looks to have the cleared the Democratic field in the Senate race, but his congressional seat could get crowded. The Democratic field includes former state House Speaker Pat Murphy, Cedar Rapids City Councilor Monica Vernon, former state Sen.…

2014 House Overview (September 27, 2013) Oregon - Wyoming

September 27, 2013 · 2:57 PM EDT

Oregon (1R, 4D)
OR 4 (DeFazio, D). Former co-Speaker of the Oregon House Bruce Hanna (R) met with NRCC officials to explore a potential run against Peter DeFazio. President Obama only won the district with 52 percent in 2012, so there is the potential for a competitive race.…

5 Things Winning Candidates Say

by Nathan L. Gonzales September 27, 2013 · 9:57 AM EDT

After the overwhelming response to “10 Things Losing Candidates Say," I decided to try to turn it around and point out some common themes from winning candidates.

Of course these phrases don’t guarantee success — a candidate’s party and the partisanship of the state or district will…

Republicans Win Belated Legal Battles, but Elections Can’t Be Undone

by Nathan L. Gonzales September 26, 2013 · 12:14 PM EDT

You can’t rewrite history, but Republicans probably wish you could.

While two high-profile former GOP officeholders — Texas Rep. Tom DeLay and the late Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens — have now had their convictions overturned or dismissed, Republicans are still dealing with the political consequences.

It’s easy…