Senate News & Analysis

Fall Elections Shape Future Rosters

by Nathan L. Gonzales July 1, 2012 · 11:00 AM EDT

Pulled muscles and back injuries are nothing compared to the devastation the fall elections could inflict on the rosters for the 2013 edition of the CQ Roll Call Congressional Baseball Game.

This year could be the final game for more than a dozen Members of Congress who face…

Utah Senate: Hatch Finishes Off Challenger

by Nathan L. Gonzales June 27, 2012 · 11:59 AM EDT

Orrin Hatch captured the GOP nomination, and a seventh term in the Senate, on Tuesday by defeating former state Sen. Dan Liljenquist, 67 percent to 32 percent.

Hatch nearly secured the nomination outright at the April convention, but fell just short of 60 percent of the delegates necessary.…

Senate Majority Still Up for Grabs in November

by Stuart Rothenberg June 22, 2012 · 11:42 AM EDT

A slew of retirements and a changing presidential election landscape have made for some ups and downs for the two parties in this year’s fight for the Senate. But the basic contours of the cycle remain the same: The Senate is up for grabs in November.

Republicans who…

Arizona Senate: There’s a Wil, There Might be a Way

by Nathan L. Gonzales June 15, 2012 · 11:58 AM EDT

Richard Carmona has to be the only candidate in the country disavowing his connection to President Obama while also touting his ties to former President Bush. And that’s the least interesting part of his biography.

Democrats are in the midst of an intense love affair with their Senate…

Senate Primaries: Match-Ups Set in Four Key States

by Nathan L. Gonzales June 13, 2012 · 11:43 AM EDT

No surprises in yesterday’s Senate primaries, but general election matchups are set in four key states: Maine, North Dakota, Nevada and Virginia.

The most interesting result of the night may have been in Maine, where state Sen. Cynthia Dill secured the Democratic nomination with about 45 percent in…

IE Strategy Borders on Art Form

by Nathan L. Gonzales June 8, 2012 · 10:32 AM EDT

Today’s “independent expenditure” isn’t as independent as you might think.

As this fall’s battle for the House and Senate comes into focus, party strategists on both sides of the aisle can, and often do, communicate, even though there is a “wall” separating the official side of the parties’…

New Mexico: Senate Race Set, Grisham Wins Three-Way Primary

by Jessica Taylor June 6, 2012 · 11:57 AM EDT

The Republican candidate that cries “conservative” the loudest doesn’t always win the primary.

Child care center owner Greg Sowards, who had the support of Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), tried to run to the right of Heather Wilson but the former congresswoman prevailed with almost 70 percent of the…

Just How Competitive Is the Ohio Senate Race?

by Stuart Rothenberg May 25, 2012 · 9:21 AM EDT

Some races are easy to handicap. Two essentially evenly matched candidates in a competitive state normally produces a tossup rating, while a popular entrenched incumbent against an under-funded, unknown challenger almost always produces something close to a safe contest for the incumbent.

But the Senate race in Ohio…

Texas Senate: Can Dewhurst Hit 50 Percent in Primary?

by Stuart Rothenberg May 24, 2012 · 1:56 PM EDT

A new Public Policy Polling survey confirms what I am hearing elsewhere: Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is close – but still short – of getting more than 50 percent of the vote in Texas’ May 29 Republican Senate primary, which would allow him to avoid a runoff.

The…

Senate Control Remains a 50/50 Matter

by Stuart Rothenberg May 18, 2012 · 2:00 PM EDT

The big news over the past three months in the fight for the Senate undoubtedly was Maine Senator Olympia Snowe’s retirement, and even GOP partisans will tell you that surprise announcement threw a monkey wrench into their plans to take over the Senate in November.

But with signs…