President News & Analysis

The 2016 Presidential Race Begins Today

by Stuart Rothenberg January 23, 2013 · 8:00 AM EST

It is far too early to handicap the 2016 Academy Awards, the 2016 World Series or the 2016 Summer Olympics. And yet, if you are a true political junkie, you may already be apoplectic that we aren’t yet knee-deep in discussions about the next presidential race.

While you…

Obama Wins First Round, With More Bouts to Come in 2013

by Stuart Rothenberg January 4, 2013 · 11:14 AM EST

We’ve just seen Round One in what amounts to a political heavyweight championship fight between Democrats and Republicans. Get ready for the next 11 rounds.

Though they were unhappy with a package that included more spending and higher taxes on the wealthy, Republican realists understood that defending tax…

The New Year Can’t Come Soon Enough for the GOP

by Stuart Rothenberg December 22, 2012 · 9:00 AM EST

As the end of the year approaches, it’s difficult not to see the two parties heading in very different directions.

Democrats have emerged from the 2012 elections stronger, while Republicans look poorly positioned and divided.

Politics, of course, is famous for its ups and downs, its unexpected…

Looking Back on 2012 Cycle’s Long and Winding Road

by Stuart Rothenberg December 19, 2012 · 9:00 AM EST

Wow, what a political cycle. It was filled with twists, turns and surprises.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won the Iowa caucuses — until he didn’t (almost two weeks after the actual balloting, when former Sen. Rick Santorum was certified as the winner).

After finishing a distant…

For the Fiscal Cliff Talks, It’s Back to the Future Again

by Stuart Rothenberg December 5, 2012 · 1:46 PM EST

Anyone who hoped that Democrats and Republicans could find a quick way to avoid the upcoming fiscal cliff should by now know that we are heading for another of those buzzer-beater endings — if Congress and the White House beat the buzzer at all.

While President Barack Obama…

Mixed Message: Divided Nation Is Still Divided

by Stuart Rothenberg November 9, 2012 · 10:14 AM EST

Tuesday’s results were not unexpected, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t send shock waves through the political establishment.

The president was re-elected at the same time Democrats retained the Senate and Republicans continued to hold the House, but the elections seem to raise more questions about the future…

Jumping to Conclusions on the 2012 Elections

by Stuart Rothenberg November 6, 2012 · 10:00 AM EST

If there is one thing that you can probably bet on, it is that the winners and losers in today’s balloting will draw the wrong conclusions from the outcome.

The winner of the presidential election — of 270 votes in the Electoral College — will almost certainly see…

Settle In: Election Night Viewers’ Guide

by Nathan L. Gonzales November 6, 2012 · 8:00 AM EST

With eight presidential swing states, a dozen competitive Senate seats and more than 60 House seats in play, it’s impossible to follow them all as polls close and returns trickle in tonight. Here is a guide for when and where to focus your attention to accurately measure how things…

Presidential Race is Too Close to Call

by Stuart Rothenberg November 2, 2012 · 3:28 PM EDT

National polling continues to show the presidential race extremely close, with neither Barack Obama nor Mitt Romney opening up any daylight in the race. That’s not good for the president, since most insiders doubt that he will get the majority of late-deciders.

But the race for the White…

Coming Down to the End of the Line in 2012

by Stuart Rothenberg November 2, 2012 · 10:42 AM EDT

As Election Day approached in 2006, 2008 and 2010, I was reasonably confident about the kind of an election we would have, even if I wasn’t sure about the exact outcome. Four years ago at this time, for example, we all had a pretty good idea who the next…