Inside Elections

2016 House Ratings (May 15, 2015)

May 15, 2015 · 2:57 PM EDT

Report Shorts (May 15, 2015) California Senate, California 25, Indiana Senate, Indiana 3

May 15, 2015 · 2:56 PM EDT

California Senate. After a clumsy rollout, Democratic Rep. Loretta Sanchez announced her bid for the open Senate seat being left by retiring-Sen. Barbara Boxer (D). She is playing catch-up to state Attorney General Kamala Harris (D), who jumped into the race soon after Boxer’s announcement. With…

Why It’s a Mistake to Dismiss Bobby Jindal

by Stuart Rothenberg May 15, 2015 · 10:02 AM EDT

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is a bit of a conundrum.

He is a conservative who graduated from Brown University, a bastion of political correctness and the political left.

A Rhodes scholar who criticized those in his own party for expressing views he called “offensive and bizarre,” Jindal is…

Caveat Emptor, in Political Giving Too

by Stuart Rothenberg May 13, 2015 · 10:20 AM EDT

Two days before the Tuesday special election in New York’s 11th District, I received one of those hysterical email requests for money.

I’m on many candidate, political action committee and interest group email distribution lists, so I get them from both sides. This one was from something called…

Parties Divide and Conquer Independent Spending

by Nathan L. Gonzales May 8, 2015 · 9:52 AM EDT

Having more than $50 million to spend on House races in the final months of the campaign may sound like fun, but both campaign committees have figured out it’s not a one-person job.

Each election cycle, the National Republican Congressional Committee and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee…

Senate Races, Pro Salaries and Perspective on Spending

by Nathan L. Gonzales May 7, 2015 · 10:14 AM EDT

Complaining about campaign spending is a time-honored tradition, along with the Kentucky Derby and Major League Baseball. But a closer look reveals the dollars spent on controlling government pales in comparison to spending in other areas of life.

Speaker John A. Boehner tried to make that point…

How Much Trouble Is Richard Burr in?

by Stuart Rothenberg May 6, 2015 · 10:12 AM EDT

North Carolina Republican Sen. Richard M. Burr apparently is easy to underestimate.

The former Wake Forest football defensive back (he played at 6’1’’, 200 pounds as a sophomore in 1975, according to the university’s Athletic Media Relations Department) served five terms in the House and is now in…

Is John Kasich in the Top Tier in 2016?

by Stuart Rothenberg May 4, 2015 · 10:49 AM EDT

“Perpetually in motion, Kasich is a whirlwind of restless energy and is sometimes criticized for being cocky,” reads the 1996 Politics in America profile of the then-Ohio congressman.

The 1992 edition of The Almanac of American Politics described John R. Kasich as “peppery and brash, spewing forth…

What Kind of Senate Candidates Will Do Well in 2016?

by Stuart Rothenberg May 1, 2015 · 2:30 PM EDT

The list of likely 2016 Democratic Senate challengers to GOP incumbents is starting to gel, though it’s early enough in the cycle that things could change quite dramatically.

At this point, former Rep. Joe Sestak of Pennsylvania and former Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin appear headed for…

Texas 23: Hurd(ing) Voters

by Nathan L. Gonzales May 1, 2015 · 2:29 PM EDT

Over the last year, Will Hurd has gone from afterthought to GOP rising star. 

Last cycle, Republicans had their eye on a top recruit to knock off Democratic Rep. Pete Gallego in the competitive 23rd District of Texas. But when she declined to run, much of the enthusiasm in Washington about the…