House News & Analysis

Georgia Primaries: Stay Tuned for Round Two

by Jessica Taylor August 1, 2012 · 11:18 AM EDT

The Peach State provided only minimal clarity on Tuesday, with no candidate reaching the 50 percent threshold to win outright in the two most closely-watched House races.

In the 12th District contest, state Rep. Lee Anderson (34 percent) and wealthy construction company owner Rick Allen (26 percent) advanced…

Connecticut 5: Murphy’s Law

by Nathan L. Gonzales July 27, 2012 · 12:59 PM EDT

Democrats’ potential headaches in New England just won’t go away. The party already has vulnerable incumbents in Massachusetts and Rhode Island and, thanks to popular Democratic Rep. Chris Murphy’s Senate bid, has an open seat in Connecticut to worry about as well.


Barack Obama received 56…

Hawaii 2: Third Time’s a Charm

by Nathan L. Gonzales July 27, 2012 · 12:58 PM EDT

Hawaiians have a history of re-electing their incumbents over, and over, and over again, so when a seat comes open, the Democratic primary becomes extremely important in the very Democratic state.

The race for mayor of Honolulu and the open seat Senate race are taking up most of…

Arizona House: Primary Heat

by Jessica Taylor July 27, 2012 · 12:57 PM EDT

No other state in the nation saw a fight over its congressional boundaries quite like Arizona. When a bipartisan commission returned a map
last year that Republicans believed was too favorable to Democrats, Gov. Jan Brewer (R) and the GOP-controlled state Senate took unprecedented action -- impeaching the…

Two Freshmen to Watch in the Class of 2012

by Stuart Rothenberg July 25, 2012 · 12:32 PM EDT

In a political world increasingly populated by candidates who seem angry at the political opposition and promise to toe their party’s ideological line, two open-seat candidates I met recently cut interesting profiles.

While most members of the class of 2012 still have to prove their mettle in November,…

In Fight for the House, the Trajectory Is Clear

by Stuart Rothenberg July 23, 2012 · 9:30 AM EDT

House races often don’t start getting attention until after Labor Day. But with the presidential contest sucking the air out of the political environment and defining the electoral landscape, House candidates may find they have an even harder time than usual defining themselves and their opponents.

That means…

Wash. 1 Primary Is a Battle for Silver Medal

by Jessica Taylor July 19, 2012 · 5:36 PM EDT

When a bipartisan commission redrew Washington state’s congressional lines late last year, commissioner and former Sen. Slade Gorton (R) boasted that the new 1st District may be the most evenly divided in the country.

While Democrats appear to have a slight edge in the race to succeed former…

How Can Anyone Govern After This Campaign?

by Stuart Rothenberg July 18, 2012 · 9:20 AM EDT

Those of us who have been reporting on and discussing politics for the past few decades have come to expect rough-and-tumble campaigns. As Chicago writer Finley Peter Dunne once observed: “Politics ain’t beanbag.”

But the nature of the 2012 presidential campaign so far raises questions about how, or…

North Carolina: Republicans Prepare for Big November

by Jessica Taylor July 18, 2012 · 12:14 AM EDT

Republicans got their top picks in two North Carolina congressional runoffs Tuesday, furthering the likelihood they will flip several seats in the Tar Heel State this fall.

In the 8th District runoff, former Capitol Hill aide Richard Hudson easily defeated former Iredell County Commissioner Scott Keadle, 64 percent…

Conventions: From Meaningful to Meaningless

by Stuart Rothenberg July 16, 2012 · 9:33 AM EDT

Rarely a day goes by without some journalist noting that another Member of Congress is passing up the very forgettable opportunity of attending his or her party’s convention later this summer.

The list of media outlets to report on this “development” is long and getting longer: the New…