Senate News & Analysis

Political Unity Peaked After Attacks

by Stuart Rothenberg September 10, 2011 · 12:00 PM EDT

Our normal political discourse in this country has changed much in the past three decades, becoming coarser and angrier. In Congress, the two parties are increasingly at odds, unable to find common ground on many crucial issues and apparently willing to question each other’s fundamental decency.

Yet almost…

Massachusetts Senate: Not So Fast

by Nathan L. Gonzales September 9, 2011 · 3:00 PM EDT

After Scott Brown got elected to the Senate in Massachusetts in a special election, everyone assumed he would be “toast” in the next general election. Don’t be so sure.

Brown got elected in one of the most high-profile Senate races of all-time, winning the late Senator Ted Kennedy’s…

Michigan Senate: Is Stabenow Vulnerable?

September 9, 2011 · 2:57 PM EDT

Former Cong. Pete Hoekstra (R) reconsidered his earlier decision to stay on the sidelines and will now challenge Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D). He entered the race with the support of Gov. Rick Snyder (R), whom Hoekstra lost to in the 2010 gubernatorial primary, and former Gov. John Engler. The…

Connecticut Senate: Crowded Ring

September 9, 2011 · 2:56 PM EDT

To no one’s surprise, former wrestling executive Linda McMahon (R) announced she is running again. She lost to Richard Blumenthal (D) in last year’s Senate election. But despite McMahon’s personal wealth, former Cong. Chris Shays announced he will run, as well. Democrats have a competitive primary of their own…

Missouri Senate: McCaskill’s Plan to hold her job

September 9, 2011 · 2:55 PM EDT

Hours after President Obama’s September 8 speech to the joint session of Congress, incumbent Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill released a statement that included this: “Weeks on the road getting input from Missouri’s manufacturers has led me to believe we can keep creating more jobs with some commonsense ideas—more efficient…

Two Former Democratic Aides Raise a Ruckus

by Nathan L. Gonzales September 8, 2011 · 10:08 AM EDT

Nathan Daschle and Ray Glendening are two of the last people you would expect to be politically homeless.

With prominent fathers, Democratic politics is literally in their blood and, more recently, the duo worked at the Democratic Governors Association. But Daschle and Glendening no longer feel the same…

Is Spending Creating a Consensus on Defense?

by Stuart Rothenberg September 7, 2011 · 11:02 AM EDT

It’s 11 weeks until the deadline for the supercommittee to reduce federal budget deficits by at least $1.5 trillion over 10 years or else trigger across-the-board spending cuts, including big cuts in defense.

As Americans shift their focus away from terrorism and toward the nation’s economic future, it’s…

Party Crashers All the Rage, Aren’t All the Same

by Nathan L. Gonzales August 19, 2011 · 9:33 AM EDT

Congressional job approval is at an all-time low, and there’s no shortage of anger aimed at the Beltway. There’s also no shortage of people looking to take advantage of the unpopularity of both Republicans and Democrats.

On the surface, Americans Elect, No Labels and Ruck.us might look like…

Wisconsin Senate: Thompson’s Return May Be Coming Too Late

by Stuart Rothenberg August 16, 2011 · 10:38 AM EDT

Each time a statewide election rolls around in Wisconsin, former Gov. Tommy Thompson’s name surfaces. And each time, Thompson — who was in the GOP presidential race for just more than four months in the middle of 2007 — refuses to rule himself in or out until, finally, he…

Blue Dogs and Elephants? Dad Can’t Escape Politics

by Nathan L. Gonzales August 10, 2011 · 10:19 AM EDT

Anyone with kids has spent a lot of time reading books with fewer than 10 words on a page. But as the political environment heats up, what looks like a harmless bedtime story can turn into a hidden political message or even astute political analysis.

At least, if…