Louisiana Democratic Sen. Mary L. Landrieu has already made it quite clear that she isn’t going to go quietly in her bid to win a fourth term in next month’s Dec. 6 runoff. Her effort to brand Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy as “nearly incoherent” ranks up there with Kentucky Democrat Dan Mongiardo’s effort to label […]
Yes, that was a wave. A big one. In many respects, it was a wave that was larger and more damaging to Democrats than in 2010. Republicans now have more House seats, more Senate seats and more governorships than they did after the humongous GOP wave of 2010. They now have the governors of Maryland […]
There was a chance that the entire country would be spending the month of November focused on Louisiana as the Senate majority hinged on the fate of Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu in a December runoff. That scenario has evaporated, but is the race still worth watching? Landrieu finished first on Nov. 4, but with just […]
A week before the election, Stu waded into the discussion about what constitutes an electoral wave. One of his main points: “I know it when I see it.” Well, we saw it on Tuesday. While Republicans gained more House and Senate seats than the most likely pre-election projections, it was the margins in individual races […]
This column first appeared in Roll Call on Sept. 8, 2014. While the current Rothenberg Political Report ratings don’t show it, I am now expecting a substantial Republican Senate wave in November, with a net gain of at least seven seats. But I wouldn’t be shocked by a larger gain. Rothenberg Political Report ratings reflect […]
Here is an emerging surprise of the midterm elections: Republican candidates are more popular than Democratic candidates in top Senate contests. It’s no secret the path to victory for Democrats in the Senate was to demonize GOP candidates in the eyes of voters who are dissatisfied with President Barack Obama. For much of the cycle, […]
Almost two months ago, on September 8th, I wrote that while the Rothenberg Political Report ratings projected Republican Senate gains in the five to eight seat range, I was “expecting a substantial Republican Senate wave in November, with a net gain of at least seven seats.” “But I wouldn’t be shocked by a larger gain,” […]
The playing field of competitive Senate races hasn’t changed, but Republican chances to win those seats has improved in the last couple of days. Since our latest ratings changes on Wednesday, GOP prospects have improved in Colorado and Iowa, making the path to a net gain of at least six seats, and winning a majority, […]
One of the most watched Senate races of 2014 is over. Take it off your list of states that could fall either way on Tuesday. Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell has opened up a comfortable lead over Democratic challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes, secretary of state of the Bluegrass State, ensuring that McConnell will win a sixth […]
President Barack Obama is about to do what no president has done in the past 50 years: Have two horrible, terrible, awful midterm elections in a row. In fact, Obama is likely to have the worst midterm numbers of any two-term president going back to Democrat Harry S. Truman. Truman lost a total of 83 […]