Senate News & Analysis

Bush Bashing Cuts Both Ways in Ohio Race

by Stuart Rothenberg June 25, 2010 · 8:59 AM EDT

Talk with Democratic candidates for Congress across the country, as I do, and you will hear the same two lines of argument about how they are going to win their contests in November.

Both narratives seek to morph November’s elections away from being a referendum on President Barack…

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…

Louisiana Senate: Saved by the Cycle

June 18, 2010 · 3:01 PM EDT

Louisiana Sen. David Vitter (R) was supposed to have two tough fights this cycle – one for renomination and one for reelection. But those scenarios haven’t materialized yet, and Election Day is less than five months away.

Vitter was thought to be vulnerable on the right after his…

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…

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…

Is Reid Better Off Than He Was a Week Ago?

by Stuart Rothenberg June 16, 2010 · 9:00 AM EDT

The post-Nevada primary chorus was loud and clear last week after former state Assemblywoman Sharron Angle won the GOP Senate primary and the right to face Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) in November.

Everyone seems to think that Reid is measurably better off now than he was…

June 11, 2010 Senate Overview

by Stuart Rothenberg June 11, 2010 · 3:00 PM EDT

Democrats and Republicans are each defending 18 seats going into the fall elections, but the national landscape has tilted the battlefield dramatically to the Republicans’ advantage. If the focus in November is on unemployment and the failure of the Obama Administration to handle big issues (e.g., the economy, the…

In the Delta, Everyone’s Buzzing About Barbour

by Stuart Rothenberg June 10, 2010 · 8:59 AM EDT

GREENVILLE, Miss. — Politically interested folks in the Mississippi Delta spent the last few days of May wondering about whether Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln will survive today’s Democratic runoff against Lt. Gov. Bill Halter and whether Democratic Rep. Travis Childers of Mississippi’s 1st district can win in a Republican…

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…

Is It Time for Democrats to Shove Giannoulias Out?

by Stuart Rothenberg May 20, 2010 · 9:00 AM EDT

The clock is starting to run out on Democrats who would like Illinois state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias out of his state’s Senate race in favor of a more electable candidate.

Given the sensitivity of such a scenario, it’s no wonder that Democrats don’t want to be anywhere near…