Archive

New Jersey Governor: The Rising

by Nathan L. Gonzales December 14, 2012 · 2:59 PM EST

Four years ago, Chris Christie became the first Republican to get elected governor of the Garden State in a decade, but he failed to reach 49 percent against an unpopular incumbent. Next year, the governor could win re-election, but it might it be considered a wind-aided victory from Hurricane…

South Carolina Senate: DeMint’s Surprise

by Jessica Taylor December 14, 2012 · 2:58 PM EST

Establishment Republicans in Washington breathed a sigh of relief with the surprise announcement last week by South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint that he would resign at the beginning of the year to take the helm of the Heritage Foundation. 


But with GOP Gov. Nikki Haley set to name his successor…

Illinois 2: Deep Dish of Dramatic Democrats

by Jessica Taylor December 14, 2012 · 2:57 PM EST

Reality television shows don’t have as colorful a cast of characters as the upcoming special election in Illinois’s 2nd District.

Vying for the chance to succeed the mired-in-scandal former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., the field includes his predecessor, who resigned in the wake of a statutory rape…

Missouri 8: Emerson’s Exit Creates Somewhat-Open Opportunity

by Nathan L. Gonzales December 14, 2012 · 2:56 PM EST

The next Congress isn’t even sworn in yet, and Missouri Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R) is the second Member to head for the exits. But the race to replace her will take place behind closed doors and on the telephone.

Emerson said she would resign her 8th District seat in February to head up the…

A Strange Election, With a Few Surprises

by Stuart Rothenberg December 14, 2012 · 2:55 PM EST

History tends to be re-written after an election, I’ve found, so let’s take a quick look at what happened and what we got right – and wrong.

Eighteen months before the election, Democrats were worried. With the economy slow, the job market softening and the party defending 23 of 33 Senate seats…

The Best and Worst of the 2012 Campaigns, Part II

by Stuart Rothenberg December 14, 2012 · 10:30 AM EST

My last column included awards for a number of 2012 campaign and candidate categories, including the luckiest candidate and the biggest upset. But those only scratched the surface in an election year during which candidate quality mattered a great deal. Part II of my guide of the best and worst…

Best and Worst Of the 2012 Campaigns: Part I

by Stuart Rothenberg December 12, 2012 · 11:18 AM EST

As another election year draws to a close, it’s time again for me to pick the cycle’s winners and losers, my most and least favorite candidates, and those who distinguished themselves by skill or by old-fashioned dumb luck.

After three successive partisan wave elections, the overarching…

Handicapping 2014: A Pause Could Add Perspective

by Stuart Rothenberg December 11, 2012 · 4:58 PM EST

The tendency to begin analyzing the next election cycle even before the votes have been counted in the last one shows no indication of abating, unfortunately.

While I have chosen to defer a detailed, race-by-race look at the 2014 elections (both in this column and in my newsletter) until after…

DeMint Surprise Exit Sets Up S.C. Scramble

by Jessica Taylor December 6, 2012 · 12:46 PM EST

South Carolina Republican Sen. Jim DeMint’s shocking news on Thursday that he would step down from the Senate to lead The Heritage Foundation sets off an uncertain scramble in the Palmetto State for virtually all of the state’s top three offices in 2014.

With DeMint, a second-term senator who’s…

For the Fiscal Cliff Talks, It’s Back to the Future Again

by Stuart Rothenberg December 5, 2012 · 1:46 PM EST

Anyone who hoped that Democrats and Republicans could find a quick way to avoid the upcoming fiscal cliff should by now know that we are heading for another of those buzzer-beater endings — if Congress and the White House beat the buzzer at all.

While President Barack Obama and Speaker John A.…