Colorado Democratic Sen. Mark Udall never had intimidating poll numbers this cycle, but uncertainty about the GOP primary raised questions about the seriousness of the Republican threat to him. But all that changed when Republican Rep. Cory Gardner decided to run for the Senate in Colorado.
His decision…
The landscape that defines the fight for the Senate continues to shift in a way that benefits Republicans, though it isn’t yet clear how fully they can take advantage of the opportunity.
President Barack Obama’s job ratings continue to range from mediocre to troubling, and a GOP recruiting…
ALABAMA -- Jeff Sessions (R), elected 1996 (52%), 2002 (59%) and 2008 (63%). April 4 filing deadline, June 3 primary, July 15 runoff. The last Democratic Senate nominee to win over 40 percent of the vote in Alabama was Roger Bedford in 1996 (45.5 percent). Sessions’ December 31 FEC…
KENTUCKY -- Mitch McConnell (R), elected 1984 (50%), 1990 (52%), 1996 (55%), 2002 (65%), 2008 (53%). May 20 primary. Senate Minority Leader McConnell continues to fight a two-front war in his effort to win a sixth term. Primary challenger Matt Bevin has personal resources (he put $600,000 into his…
NORTH CAROLINA -- Kay Hagan (D), elected 2008 (53%). May 6 primary, July 15 runoff. Given the GOP’s recent victories in the state, Hagan had to expect a serious challenge. State House Speaker Thom Tillis is the frontrunner for the GOP nomination. Physician Greg Brannon (an OB/GYN) is running…
Political brands are important. If a candidate or political party has a damaged political brand, it’s harder for them to sell themselves to voters. But sometimes a poll’s top lines can be deceiving, so you need to look a little below the surface to understand what is going on.
…The national media’s reaction to former President Bill Clinton’s recent trip to Kentucky to boost the Senate candidacy of Democratic Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes was predictable.
Most of my colleagues in the media can’t resist a Clinton (Bill or Hillary) sighting, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch…
A Republican group recently boasted about Republicans becoming “the only political party in history to run a Web ending.”
But it would be surprising if many Republican candidates are anxious to put .GOP behind their name.
The Republican State Leadership Committee led the effort to secure the…
Two forces could collide in Oregon later this year: a state shifting to the left while short-term political forces are working against Democrats nationwide. But the fact that Republicans have even a remote chance of winning the Senate race in Oregon demonstrates just what kind of cycle this is…
The last time Republicans won a U.S. Senate race Michigan there was an open seat in a midterm election of a Democratic president. That was 20 years ago, but Republicans believe it is a winning formula for 2014.
Michigan is one example of a Democratic seat that could…
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