The Senate is filled with members who lost previous races. But Democrats Joe Sestak and Russ Feingold are trying to pull off a rare electoral feat: defeating the people who defeated them six years prior.
In 2010, Republican businessman Ron Johnson defeated Feingold, the incumbent Democrat, 52 percent to…
Republicans scored big gains in the 2010 and 2014 elections because both of those midterms were about President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party. Democrats had successful elections in 2006, 2008 and 2012 primarily because they made those elections about the GOP and George W. Bush, John McCain and…
Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander, a Democrat, announced his challenge to GOP Sen. Roy Blunt Thursday. But he’ll have to overcome the Republican lean of the Show-Me State and history in order to win.
There are many paths to the Senate, but being a secretary of state is…
Political reporters love to write about fundraising. Tracking and comparing how much money incumbents and challengers have raised and spent is a staple of political journalism. But it can also be misleading.
If history is any guide, candidate spending can be a poor indicator of re-election success, particularly considering…
Democrat Barbara Boxer’s retirement sets up the first open Senate seat in California in over 20 years, but it’s not quite the right timing for some ambitious politicos.
For an open seat in a Democratic state, the Democratic field has narrowed quickly. State Attorney General Kamala Harris is running…
California’s 44th District. Democratic Rep. Janice Hahn is running for an open seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and not seeking re-election in 2016. Her seat is not at risk of falling into Republican hands. State Sen. Isadore Hall (D) is running and has Hahn’s support.
Other…
Ohio Sen. Rob Portman was a key part of the Republican effort to take back the Senate majority in 2014 by raising money to get others elected. Now he’s a critical part of keeping the majority by getting re-elected.
On one hand, the path back to the Senate majority…
Spending time, energy and money on campaigns is one thing. But some political activists go a step further, contemplating whether to become a candidate themselves.
California could see two such cases in the next few years, with environmentalist Tom Steyer and Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas potentially finding themselves…
Republicans and Democrats can’t agree on much of anything these days, but strategists on both sides of the aisle love to talk about Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst’s victory.
Two years ago, Ernst was a little-known GOP state senator from Southwest Iowa. She entered the national spotlight with a
For Republicans, the fight for control of the Senate in 2016 is all about playing defense.
Unlike 2014 (and 2018), the Senate races of 2016 offer few, if any, opportunities for the GOP as the election cycle begins. The map strongly favors Democrats and suggests the possibility of considerable…
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