Democratic and Republican strategists won’t have to wait until November to test the political strength of at least one vulnerable House Republican. Because of the state of Washington’s new “Top 2” primary, Rep. Dave Reichert (R) will face off against 2006 nominee Darcy Burner (D) on Aug. 19. In the new system, the top two […]
North Carolina Rep. Robin Hayes (R) is vulnerable. This is a surprise? A newly released Democratic poll showed challenger Larry Kissell (D) edging out Hayes in a general election matchup. But the survey just confirmed the obvious and does not signify movement in a race that was already highly competitive. In November 2006, Hayes and […]
Senate election cycles normally take one of two paths. Either all the close races fall toward one party in a political “wave,” or individual races are decided by race-specific factors, particularly the quality of the candidates, the power of incumbency and local issues. We’ve had cycles when both parties have suffered a substantial number of […]
An environmental group is about to launch a substantial ad campaign against Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R) in Colorado’s 4th district. According to Federal Election Commission 48-hour notices, the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund placed a $200,000 ad buy on June 19. The group also spent $11,794 on ad production to Wild Bunch Consulting. According to […]
While age is an underlying issue in the presidential contest, Democrats have candidates young and old running as change agents at the Congressional level. Former Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes (D), 70, is a strong challenger to Rep. Sam Graves (R), 44, in Missouri’s 6th district. Caddo Parish District Attorney Paul Carmouche (D) just turned […]
“It will close.” That was the common analysis during the previous cycle’s Senate race in Pennsylvania, when poll after poll showed then-Sen. Rick Santorum (R) trailing his opponent, then-state Treasurer Bob Casey (D). But after millions of dollars of advertising, the race never did close, and Casey won in a romp. Now, New Hampshire Sen. […]
Every election cycle, I meet a lot of candidates running for the U.S. House of Representatives. Some, in fact many, have more liabilities than assets. But some actually impress me. This column is about four of them, and I’d advise keeping an eye on each at least until November. Gregg Harper (R), Mississippi’s 3rd district. […]
Congressman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) told the Rothenberg Political Report Friday that he “would have a hard time voting for the [Democratic] ticket” if Sen. Barack Obama picks former United States Sen. Sam Nunn as his vice-presidential running-mate. Frank, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee and the first member of Congress to announce that […]
As the names of a seemingly endless number of would-be vice presidential running mates in both parties circulate this summer, the one thing you can be sure of is that there will be an increasing effort by groups to make certain some of those mentioned are not selected. In a signed opinion piece last week, […]
Faced with an extremely tough playing field and environment, the National Republican Senatorial Committee has designated Sam Van Voorhis to direct its independent expenditure effort this year. Van Voorhis, a direct-mail consultant with NextWave Communications, will handle uncoordinated committee spending on TV ads, direct mail, phone banks and polling. He will oversee work done by […]