The new February 24, 2006 print edition of the Rothenberg Political Report is on its way to subscribers. (Click here for subscription information.) West Virginia Senate: GenerationsBy Nathan L. Gonzales It was almost smooth sailing to a record ninth term for the longest-serving member of the U.S Senate, West Virginia’s Robert C. Byrd (D). After nearly a year…
OK, so I really don’t expect a lot of consistency from politicians. They change their positions and their arguments from cycle to cycle. But this cycle, change has become the rule in more ways than one. At least two candidates have turned down pleas to run for Congress, only to change their minds after others got in races…
There is no question Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) is running for president in 2008. Senators don’t normally raise $33 million to run for reelection against a nominal opponent. But there are a number of large hurdles Clinton must jump before she can be elected. Too often the focus is on just one of her challenges, instead of a…
While journalists and political junkies watch each day’s news with an eye to see who is winning and who is losing — who is moving up and who is moving down — the reality is that most days come and go without any real movement. Americans don’t dissect the news the way a compulsive blogger or a political…
This is one of the more difficult lists that I have tried to create over the years. Many of the incumbents on this list have proven their political mettle before, and in normal circumstances, they wouldn’t be in all that much trouble. Others find themselves in the sort of hot water that should automatically sink them, but because…
When Senate Democrats selected Nevada Sen. Harry Reid to be their leader, journalists and political insiders noted his red-state credentials, opposition to abortion and soft-spoken style as perfect qualities for a party seeking to broaden its appeal. Almost immediately, a front-page New York Times story suggested that “Reid’s amiability might make it harder for the White House to…
With a potential political wave developing, Republicans should face the reality that it likely will only break one way – toward the Democrats. GOP leaders in Washington are trying to point out the “hypocrisy” of the Democratic attacks on ethics and corruption, but recent history shows that if a wave develops, it will disproportionately hurt one party over…
Democrats are poised to defeat Rep. John Hostettler (R-Ind.) in November. And they better succeed — because if they don’t, they might as well forget about ever defeating him. Hostettler, a six-term conservative from southwest Indiana, has been a Democratic target since he was first elected in 1994. But Democratic hype about beating him has never proved reliable,…