House News & Analysis

We Don’t Need a DNC Lecture on Midterms

by Stuart Rothenberg July 21, 2010 · 9:44 AM EDT

The folks at the Democratic National Committee’s communications shop apparently believe that those of us — political analysts and handicappers, campaign professionals, journalists and political junkies — who have spent years following Congressional elections and dissecting polls are idiots.

And because we aren’t real sharp, we need the…

White House Lays Foundation for Post-Election Damage Control

by Nathan L. Gonzales July 20, 2010 · 11:34 AM EDT

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs created a firestorm by admitting that the House majority is in play, but House Democrats should be more worried about his subsequent analysis rather than his political prognostications.

“But I think there's no doubt there are enough seats in play that could…

Missouri 8 : For Sowers, Raising Money Is the Easy Part

by Stuart Rothenberg July 16, 2010 · 1:07 PM EDT

Tommy Sowers, the Missouri Democrat who is challenging Republican Rep. Jo Ann Emerson in a conservative southeastern Missouri district, is getting plenty of attention.

An Iraq War veteran, Sowers got a big article in this newspaper almost a month ago (“Emerson’s Challenger Looks Better Than Most,” June 17),…

Outside Groups Aiding GOP Cause This Cycle

by Nathan L. Gonzales July 13, 2010 · 7:00 AM EDT

Several Republican outside groups are promising to spend big money in key House and Senate races this fall, but it remains to be seen whether they’ll have the dollars to have an impact.

When American Crossroads, a newly formed 527 group, raised a meager $200 in May, Republicans…

NBC’s First Read Misses A Key Point

by Stuart Rothenberg July 12, 2010 · 1:24 PM EDT

In looking at the reasons why Republicans might win the House in November, as well as why they might not, NBC’s First Read made the following point: “winning 39 seats is a tall order. After all, when Democrats won back the House in 2006 -- during the height of…

New York 1: Outsourcing Documentary Provides Little Fodder

by Nathan L. Gonzales July 9, 2010 · 9:00 AM EDT

Randy Altschuler isn’t the first candidate to be accused of shipping jobs overseas, but he may be the only one to have an entire documentary filmed about his company’s operation in India.

The New York Republican is running in the 1st district against Rep. Tim Bishop (D) but…

Will Democrats’ Third-Party Scenario Pay Off?

by Stuart Rothenberg July 7, 2010 · 7:00 AM EDT

An unusual number of Democratic candidates running this cycle are basing their victory scenarios on the existence of Independent or third-party candidates in their races. Are their hopes reasonable or are they merely grasping at straws?

Certainly there are examples of third-party candidates who had no chance of…

Same Party but Two Very Different Candidates

June 24, 2010 · 9:00 AM EDT

As we crawl toward November, I’m fortunate to interview more and more candidates. Each candidate is unique, but I don’t know that I’ve seen two so very different candidates in a matter of one hour as I did recently, when I interviewed Arizona Democratic Senate hopeful Rodney Glassman and…

Link Between Grayson, Tea Party Questioned

by Nathan L. Gonzales June 23, 2010 · 9:00 AM EDT

One of Rep. Alan Grayson’s pollsters is running for the state House in Florida as a Tea Party candidate, fueling Republican suspicions that the Democratic Congressman is using a newly formed third party to boost his own re-election bid.

On Friday, Victoria Torres, 44, of Orlando qualified to…

Let’s Poke Holes in the ‘Anti-Incumbent’ Hype

June 18, 2010 · 3:00 PM EDT

My heart sank when I saw my friend Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post write about this cycle’s elections and whether they really deserved the “anti-incumbent” moniker that they have received. Damn it, I thought, there goes another half-written column that I have to toss into the trash.

But Chris…