Senate News & Analysis

2016 Senate Overview (January 9, 2015) Alabama - Kansas

January 9, 2015 · 1:33 PM EST

ALABAMA – Richard Shelby (R) elected 1986 (50%), 1992 (65%), 1998 (63%), 2004 (68%), 2010 (65%). After five terms and 30 years in the Senate, Shelby might look like a candidate who is ripe for an anti-establishment challenger. But the senator had just short of $18 million in the bank…

2016 Senate Overview (January 9, 2015) Kentucky - New Mexico

January 9, 2015 · 1:32 PM EST

KENTUCKY – Rand Paul (R) elected 2010 (56%). After knocking off establishment favorite Trey Grayson in the 2010 GOP primary and Democrat Jack Conway in the general election, Paul is up for re-election. But the senator has his eye on a bigger prize: the presidency. 

Under Kentucky law, candidates are…

2016 Senate Overview (January 9, 2015) New York - Wyoming

January 9, 2015 · 1:31 PM EST

NEW YORK – Chuck Schumer (D) elected 1998 (55%), 2004 (71%), 2010 (66%). Some races are complicated; the one in New York is not. If Schumer runs for a fourth term, he will win. Safe for Democrats.

NORTH CAROLINA – Richard Burr (R) elected 2004 (52%), 2010 (55%). An official…

What Kind of Race Would Russ Feingold Run in 2016?

by Nathan L. Gonzales December 19, 2014 · 9:27 AM EST

Former Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., isn’t ruling out trying to get his former seat back this cycle. But it’s unclear how good of a campaign he will run.

Wisconsin Democratic Rep. Gwen Moore told Roll Call’s Alexis Levinson last week she expects Feingold to wage a rematch against GOP…

Democrats Abandoned Mary Landrieu in the Runoff. Does it Matter?

by Nathan L. Gonzales December 11, 2014 · 1:36 PM EST

Party campaign committees are incumbent led and incumbent driven, so how important is it for the committees to support incumbents to the bitter end?

Democratic Sen. Mary L. Landrieu lost re-election in Louisiana, 56 percent to 44 percent, to Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy. But in the days running…

Mary Landrieu’s Loss and the End of Ticket Splitting

by Stuart Rothenberg December 10, 2014 · 9:41 AM EST

Louisiana Sen. Mary L. Landrieu’s defeat in the Dec. 6 runoff certainly was no surprise. If anything, it seemed inevitable since the evening of Nov. 4, when it became clear a Republican rout was underway and Democrats would lose control of the Senate.

But the veteran Democrat’s defeat…

Rothenberg’s End of the Year Awards for 2014

by Stuart Rothenberg December 3, 2014 · 3:29 PM EST

Well, we’ve made it through another strange political year — and let’s face it, they are all strange — so it’s time for me to devote another column to picking the best, the worst and the weirdest candidates, campaigns and outcomes of the year.

As always, I will…

What Did — and Didn’t — Surprise Me This Cycle

by Stuart Rothenberg November 29, 2014 · 8:30 AM EST

Every election cycle is filled with twists and turns, upsets and surprises. And every cycle is filled with goofy arguments, warnings about things that never happen and unsurprising outcomes that surprise only the politically uneducated.

For me, the biggest surprises included Dave Brat’s primary upset of House Majority…

The 2014 Elections: How’d We Do?

November 21, 2014 · 2:31 PM EST

It seems like historic elections are the norm lately. As many Americans continue to feel uncertain about the economy and jaded about politicians, the electoral environment continues to be volatile. In this month’s midterm elections, much of the frustration was taken out on President Barack Obama through candidates and…

Louisiana Races Go Into Overtime

by Nathan L. Gonzales November 21, 2014 · 2:30 PM EST

Not so long ago, it looked as if the entire political world would descend on Louisiana for the state’s December 6 runoff because the Senate majority hinged on the outcome of that contest. But that scenario was washed away by strong Republican gains earlier this month. Still, the trio…