For the past few election cycles, I have followed the most vulnerable House open seats as a way of monitoring the two parties’ overall prospects for November. This cycle, there are relatively few inherently competitive open seats. But some open seats that would normally be reliably Republican could well see strong competition if the national landscape continues to…
Republican Sen. Trent Lott’s announcement this week that he will seek a fourth term in Mississippi leaves Democrats with little room for error if they are to have any chance of capturing the Senate in November. ‘ Party strategists on both sides of the aisle agreed that Democrats would have no chance of defeating Lott but would have…
Sometimes, politics involves Machiavellian manipulation and elaborate scenarios based on risky judgments and hard-to-decipher bits of information. Other times, it’s so patently obvious what to do that it’s hard to understand why politicians choose an alternative route. Presented with a rare opportunity to send a message about change and reform, House Republicans seem ready, instead, to send a…
National Democratic leaders are looking to newly-elected Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia to deliver their party’s response to President Bush’s State of the Union speech at the end of the month. But if Kaine wants to help himself, he should take this tremendous opportunity…and decline the invitation. Democrats believe that on the heels of his victory in November…
For months, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, liberal Web logs and major media outlets have been trumpeting the large class of Democratic House candidates who are veterans of the military. More than three dozen non-incumbent veterans are running for Congress this year, all but a small handful of them as Democrats. While they have received plenty of ink,…
April’s special election open primary in California’s 50th district, and the likely June runoff, give Democrats a terrific opportunity to demonstrate that an electoral wave is building, and that a return to power in one or both houses of Congress is possible in November. If Democrat Francine Busby wins the special election (or even comes close), the national…
It was only a little more than one year ago thatRepublicans were united — united behind President Bush, united in their support for tax cuts and united in their fervor to defeat Democrats at the polls. As 2005 draws to a close, Republicans are fighting among themselves over spending and domestic programs. One sitting Senator and one House…
The new December 16, 2005 print edition of the Rothenberg Political Report is on its way to subscribers. (Click here for subscription information.) Here is a sample from the current issue. California 50: Special Election Pre-TestBy Nathan L. Gonzales Democrats are longing for the opportunity to run against corruption. They will have their next opportunity in less than…