As the calendar turns to September, the nation’s marquee race in 2013 is coming into focus: Terry McAuliffe (D) now has an edge over Ken Cuccinelli (R) in the Virginia gubernatorial race, and we’re changing our rating in the contest from toss-up to LEANS DEMOCRATIC. The decision is based on […] Read more »
Christie shines, as other governors struggle
Chris Christie may be the most popular governor in America. He is certainly the most popular governor in the nine states where Quinnipiac regularly polls. While other first term governors are around the 50 percent job approval mark or lower, Christie consistently hovers around 70 percent approval. … What’s most remarkable […] Read more »
Virginia: McAuliffe Overcoming the GOP’s Turnout Advantage
If Virginia’s gubernatorial contest was a fight between two equal candidates nominated by two equally evil parties, as it was initially billed, Ken Cuccinelli would have been a modest favorite. The state has a slight but clear Republican lean in an off year election, when Virginia’s new Democratic coalition of […] Read more »
The Presidency’s Political Price
Is politics a zero-sum game? Imagine, for a moment, if Sen. John McCain (R) had somehow won the presidency in 2008. How might the country be different? [cont.] Larry J. Sabato, Kyle Kondik & Geoffrey Skelley, Sabato’s Crystal Ball Read more »
Governors 2014: The Incumbent Avalanche
If you’re looking for a major difference between the last midterm election in 2010 and the one coming up in 2014, we’ve got one for you: gubernatorial incumbency — the lack of it in ’10 and the abundance of it in ’14. … Why does this matter? Because since 1960, […] Read more »
Pennsylvania: Gov. Corbett should exploit Philly school crisis, attack teachers union for political gain
Findings from a secret poll conducted by a prominent Republican firm proposes that Gov. Tom Corbett attack the Philadelphia teachers union to overcome widespread opposition to his education policies and bolster his faltering re-election prospects. “Taking on this fight moves Corbett’s approval scores on handling education” and “boosts his overall […] Read more »