House News & Analysis

Melancon Takes On a Second Opponent: BP

by Nathan L. Gonzales June 17, 2010 · 1:44 PM EDT

Rep. Charlie Melancon hasn’t made much headway in his contest against Sen. David Vitter (R) over the past seven months, but now the Democrat has a new enemy in the Louisiana Senate race: BP.

With oil from the Deepwater Horizon leak threatening the shores and marshes of his…

We Come to Bury Sodrel, Not to Praise Him

by Stuart Rothenberg June 3, 2010 · 9:00 AM EDT

Mike Sodrel has been in my life forever. Or maybe it just seems that way.

Every two years for almost a decade, the Republican businessman has been on the ballot in Indiana’s 9th district, either trying to oust Rep. Baron Hill (D) from Congress or, once, seeking re-election…

A Primary Loss Does Not Equate a Lost Cause

by Nathan L. Gonzales June 2, 2010 · 11:17 AM EDT

Democrats are reveling in the primary losses of candidates preferred by the National Republican Congressional Committee in the last couple of weeks. But they only have to look back four years within their own caucus to see that upset primary winners can get elected to Congress.

In Idaho’s…

PA 12 Special: Only One Piece in Bigger Picture

by Stuart Rothenberg June 1, 2010 · 9:00 AM EDT

Less than a day after the polls closed in the May 18 Pennsylvania special election, I left the country.

But e-mails followed me everywhere, and I read with some surprise the post-election assessments of the meaning of Democrat Mark Critz’s substantial victory over Republican Tim Burns in the…

Sean Duffy, Welcome to Your New Real World

by Nathan L. Gonzales May 26, 2010 · 12:33 PM EDT

Wisconsin Republican Congressional hopeful Sean Duffy probably now feels like he’s a victim of a classic bait-and-switch. But in this case, it’s Duffy who is a victim of his own success as a candidate.

After running for months against veteran Democratic Rep. David Obey in Wisconsin’s sprawling 7th…

PA15: Difference of Opinion

by Nathan L. Gonzales May 25, 2010 · 3:00 PM EDT
There may not be a race this cycle with such a dramatic difference of opinion between the two parties.

 

Cong. Charlie Dent is a rare Republican who represents a district that both Barack Obama and John Kerry carried in their presidential races. But even with the…

Tuesday Showed It’s Wise to Expect Unexpected

May 21, 2010 · 11:33 AM EDT

What a really weird week.

Rep. Mark Souder, a socially conservative Republican from Indiana, admits he had an affair with a staffer and steps down from his seat. Squeaky-clean Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal (D) admits he “misspoke” about his military record but says he won’t allow anyone…

House Overview: Money Can’t Fix What’s Broken for Democrats

May 18, 2010 · 12:00 PM EDT

After two consecutive change elections in which Democrats won more than 50 seats and took control of the House, we’re headed for another one. But this time, the change voters seek will be away from Democrats, not toward them. A majority of voters believe the country is headed off…

TX17: New GOP Poll Has Bad News for Chet Edwards

by Stuart Rothenberg May 10, 2010 · 8:00 AM EDT

A new Republican poll obtained by the Rothenberg Political Report shows ten-term Democratic Congressman Chet Edwards (Texas 17) trailing challenger Bill Flores (R) by a dozen points. But Edwards, who isn’t releasing his own survey, remains confident that he can turn the contest from a referendum on President Barack…

IL14: Hultgren Even With Foster in Own Poll

May 5, 2010 · 10:49 PM EDT

State Sen. Randy Hultgren (R) is in a statistical dead heat with Cong. Bill Foster (D), according to a new poll for the Republican’s campaign. A May 3-4 survey of 300 likely voters in Illinois 14th District by the Tarrance Group showed Hultgren with 45% and Foster 44% in…