… One problem with voter guides, despite their worthy intentions and the seriousness of their approach, is that there is rarely a common baseline from which to evaluate two or more candidates. A 30-year incumbent’s record usually dwarfs that of a first-time challenger who has never held office. But those […] Read more »
The New Political Rating System That Shows the Stakes This Year
… Until now, it has been nearly impossible to compare the ideological gap in Senate and House campaigns systematically. But an online service making its debut on Tuesday, known as Crowdpac, aims to change that. Using the work of a Stanford political scientist, it gives an ideological score to all […] Read more »
8 questions — and answers — about the midterm elections
The House is in GOP hands, and no one thinks the November midterm elections will change that. Republicans could lose governorships in presidential battleground states, and that is hardly insignificant. But House and gubernatorial contests pale in comparison to the question of who will control the Senate next January. … […] Read more »
Will Tailwind Carry Republicans to Senate Majority?
The battle for control of the U.S. Senate, the grand prize of the 2014 elections, with Republicans needing to win a net of a half-dozen seats to take charge, is well-framed on Labor Day. … As the nine-week home stretch starts, Republicans have a tailwind. They are solid favorites to […] Read more »
At Risk in Senate, Democrats Seek to Rally Blacks
With their Senate majority imperiled, Democrats are trying to mobilize African-Americans outraged by the shooting in Ferguson, Mo., to help them retain control of at least one chamber of Congress for President Obama’s final two years in office. … The push is an attempt to counter Republicans’ many advantages in […] Read more »
On immigration, will Obama shape his legacy or the next election?
President Obama and his team spent hours last week deliberating over how and when to fulfill his promise to use his executive power to change the immigration system. They pored over legal precedent and policy data and debated political fallout. But none of their analysis could answer the question that […] Read more »