Archive

Texas Primaries: Cruz’in to Victory

by Jessica Taylor August 1, 2012 · 11:27 AM EDT

Former state Solicitor General Ted Cruz won an upset victory over Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in the Texas GOP Senate runoff Tuesday, signaling a major shift not only in the Lone Star State but for the makeup of the incoming Senate as well.

Though he began as a near-political unknown, Cruz…

Georgia Primaries: Stay Tuned for Round Two

by Jessica Taylor August 1, 2012 · 11:18 AM EDT

The Peach State provided only minimal clarity on Tuesday, with no candidate reaching the 50 percent threshold to win outright in the two most closely-watched House races.

In the 12th District contest, state Rep. Lee Anderson (34 percent) and wealthy construction company owner Rick Allen (26…

Cruz Versus Dewhurst: More Than a Primary

by Stuart Rothenberg July 31, 2012 · 12:21 PM EDT

Today’s Texas Republican Senate runoff between Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and former state Solicitor General Ted Cruz is more than a mere primary. The winner, after all, is certain to win the seat of retiring Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R) in November.

But even more, the result will say something…

Wisconsin Senate: Don’t Badger Me

by Jessica Taylor July 27, 2012 · 1:00 PM EDT

No state has seen more political turmoil over the past 18 months than Wisconsin, and now the Badger State is gearing up for a late, messy GOP Senate primary that has degenerated into a three-way, mudslinging affair.

The Republican race to pick the Senate standard-bearer took a backseat for…

Connecticut 5: Murphy’s Law

by Nathan L. Gonzales July 27, 2012 · 12:59 PM EDT

Democrats’ potential headaches in New England just won’t go away. The party already has vulnerable incumbents in Massachusetts and Rhode Island and, thanks to popular Democratic Rep. Chris Murphy’s Senate bid, has an open seat in Connecticut to worry about as well.


Barack Obama received 56…

Hawaii 2: Third Time’s a Charm

by Nathan L. Gonzales July 27, 2012 · 12:58 PM EDT

Hawaiians have a history of re-electing their incumbents over, and over, and over again, so when a seat comes open, the Democratic primary becomes extremely important in the very Democratic state.

The race for mayor of Honolulu and the open seat Senate race are taking up most of the political…

Arizona House: Primary Heat

by Jessica Taylor July 27, 2012 · 12:57 PM EDT

No other state in the nation saw a fight over its congressional boundaries quite like Arizona. When a bipartisan commission returned a map
last year that Republicans believed was too favorable to Democrats, Gov. Jan Brewer (R) and the GOP-controlled state Senate took unprecedented action --…

Voter Overload and the Presidential Endgame

by Stuart Rothenberg July 27, 2012 · 10:31 AM EDT

It’s not news that voters in presidential swing state media markets are being bombarded with political ads on television.

According to the Campaign Media Analysis Group, $13.6 million in presidential ads has aired so far in the Cleveland media market, $4.6 million in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and…

Two Freshmen to Watch in the Class of 2012

by Stuart Rothenberg July 25, 2012 · 12:32 PM EDT

In a political world increasingly populated by candidates who seem angry at the political opposition and promise to toe their party’s ideological line, two open-seat candidates I met recently cut interesting profiles.

While most members of the class of 2012 still have to prove their mettle in…