Archive

Obama’s Appeal Depends on Your Definition of Change

by Stuart Rothenberg February 26, 2008 · 11:05 PM EST

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) continues to promise change and stress his ability to unite Americans. It’s a feel-good campaign built on soaring rhetoric and good intentions.

Pardon me if all of the fawning from the national media, and the endorsements from Caroline Kennedy and Garrison Keillor,…

New Print Edition: 2008 Senate Outlook

February 22, 2008 · 3:36 PM EST
The February 22, 2008 print edition of the Rothenberg Political Report is on its way to subscribers. The print edition comes out every two weeks and the content is not available online. Subscribers get in-depth analysis of the most competitive races in the country, as well as quarterly House and…

New Print Edition: 2008 Senate Outlook

February 22, 2008 · 3:36 PM EST

The February 22, 2008 print edition of the Rothenberg Political Report is on its way to subscribers. The print edition comes out every two weeks and the content is not available online. Subscribers get in-depth analysis of the most competitive races in the country, as well as quarterly House and…

2008 Senate Ratings

February 22, 2008 · 1:29 PM EST

Here are our latest Senate ratings.



Likely Takeover (1 R, 0 D)
  • VA Open (Warner, R)
Lean Takeover (1 R, 0 D)

  • NM Open (Domenici, R)
Toss-Up (3 R, 1 D)
  • CO Open (Allard, R)
  • Coleman (R-MN)
  • Landrieu (D-LA)
  • Sununu (R-NH)
Narrow Advantage for…

Illinois 11: GOP Nominee Baldermann Ending Bid

February 22, 2008 · 11:14 AM EST

New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann (R) is expected to end his congressional bid, according to GOP sources. The open seat, being vacated by Cong. Jerry Weller (R), was already a headache for Republicans, but this development is likely to make it even more difficult. Democrats have a strong nominee in…

Should Democrats’ Superdelegates Not Be So Super?

by Stuart Rothenberg February 20, 2008 · 11:05 PM EST

The unfortunate CNN.com headline roared “Democrats Fear Superdelegates Could Overrule Voters.”

CNN isn’t the only media outlet to run with the storyline. Many others in the media, and more than a few Democrats, also have raised the specter of superdelegates imposing their will on the party and…

The Messages From Maryland and Virginia May Be Contradictory

by Stuart Rothenberg February 17, 2008 · 11:05 PM EST

There were four, not merely two, interesting and important election contests in Maryland on Tuesday, and the results offered somewhat contradictory storylines.

In the two most high-profile races, voters backed a moderately conservative Republican, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), who often has worked…

Evidence of Evangelical Shift is still Slim

by Nathan L. Gonzales February 15, 2008 · 9:39 AM EST

Evangelicals may be shifting away from the Republican Party, but a recent poll doesn’t offer compelling evidence to support that claim.

The poll is another example of the need to examine numbers critically and cautiously, instead of taking them at face value.

Because the media consortium’s…

Media Buy Is the Message

by Nathan L. Gonzales February 14, 2008 · 11:05 PM EST

It’s going to be a long year for the National Republican Congressional Committee. Through 2007, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee had a $35.1 million to $5.4 million advantage over the NRCC, and some Republican strategists privately express significant concern over how the financial…

Kennedy’s Decision to Back Obama Not So Decisive After All

by Stuart Rothenberg February 13, 2008 · 11:05 PM EST

Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy’s endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) for president was a huge story in the national media.

Dave Espo of The Associated Press said the Senator “is in a position to help Obama court voting groups who so far have tilted [Sen. Hillary Rodham] Clinton’s…