Election Insider
January 25 Election Insider
The 2010 census will have an obvious effect on congressional politics as districts are created, eliminated, and redrawn, but a story receiving far less attention is its impact on presidential electoral politics, as states gain and surrender electoral votes due to this reapportionment of districts.
July 1 Election Insider
Al Franken’s long awaited victory in the Minnesota recount has given Democrats a 60 seat majority in the U.S. Senate. This represents the first time since 1979 that either party has enjoyed this large of a majority. While we celebrate the success of the last 3 years, our attention is focused on 2010.
June 30 Election Insider
Even with a strong Democratic majority in the House, there will be votes that will be decided by the smallest of margins. Last Friday, the majority was challenged with the passage of the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which seeks to curb the effects of global warming and end our dependence on foreign energy sources.
May 5 Election Insider
It's easy to believe that the good times will continue for the Democrats. The last two elections were debacles for Republicans in Congress; the GOP's aggregate net loss in Congress was 51 seats. From a once clear majority in 1994, Republicans have been marginalized and now control fewer seats than at any time since 1992.
February 24 Election Insider
The American electoral landscape is in a state of flux. New areas such as suburban and developing exurban counties are carrying more weight in elections as their populations grow.
December 10 Election Insider
After losing more than 50 House seats in the last two elections, the Republicans will be looking to 1994 as a source of inspiration for their goal of retaking control of congress.
December 8 Election Insider
In the end, the 2008 election did not shatter all previous turnout records as many of the political theorists predicted. Overall, in terms of turnout, the election was more ordinary than spectacular.
October 28 Election Insider
The country's attention is firmly set on November 4, but if the Democrats are serious about getting to 60 seats in the Senate, they may need to maintain their motivation for weeks following Election Day.
October 23 Election Insider
At the beginning of the campaign cycle, few political analysts would have dreamed that the Democrats could take the smallest of majorities and extend it to a 60-seat, filibuster-proof majority in just one term.
October 17 Election Insider
When the Democrats won 30 seats in the House in 2006, many saw that as the absolute high-water mark in terms of seat gains in one election cycle, given today's gerrymandered districts.
October 14 Election Insider
The impressive ground game exhibited by the Obama campaign in the primary has continued right through the general election campaign.
September 22 Election Insider
The battleground states that will decide the 2008 presidential election have been clearly identified, but the key to winning those states is still a matter of conjecture, as different political strategists offer differing ideas.
September 8 Election Insider
As the election rapidly approaches in this closely divided country, there is much discussion about the various Electoral College vote scenarios and the combination of states that Barack Obama or John McCain need to win.
August 12 Election Insider
CBS News features an analysis by Mark Gersh, NCEC Washington Director, and Anthony Salvano of CBS news, showing why Barack Obama has a serious chance to win Colorado in 2008.
July 23 Election Insider
In 2004, national polls in the presidential race showed the volatility of public opinion at the time, as both candidates held slim leads at different times in the campaign.
July 11 Election Insider
Political pundits are making outlandish predictions about Democratic gains in the House in 2008, in some cases predicting a 30+ seat gain.
June 9 Election Insider
Now that Senator Barack Obama has secured the Democratic nomination for president, Democrats can move forward as a party to face an even more daunting task: defeating John McCain.
May 22 Election Insider
Last week's Democratic victory in the special election in Mississippi 's First District was nothing short of spectacular. This victory made Democrats a perfect three for three in special elections in 2008, all of which took place in traditionally strong GOP districts in Illinois , Louisiana , and Mississippi.
May 7 Election Insider
The North Carolina and Indiana primaries may have forced clarity upon the Democratic presidential race last night. With the math of the delegate race becoming increasingly implausible for the Clinton campaign, it is likely that the marathon race is close to a conclusion.
April 24 Election Insider
Political attention continues to be dominated by the seemingly never-ending drama for the Democratic presidential nomination, but while the Clinton and Obama camps slug it out, Democrats supporting either candidate are working tirelessly to solidify the Democratic majority in the Senate.
April 10 Election Insider
The results of the Democratic primary runoff last week suggest that a Democratic victory in the upcoming special election is very possible.
March 25 Election Insider
As this excursion from the frantic primary calendar unfolds, Pennsylvania is the next important primary on the horizon.
March 11 Election Insider
The Democratic Party scored a major victory last week, and unlike most current stories in politics, it had little to do with the presidential primaries.
February 25 Election Insider
So much has changed since Hillary Clinton won in New Hampshire. Barack Obama has turned the tide in his direction, scoring 10 straight victories and making inroads into every segment of the population that had overwhelmingly supported Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire.
February 15 Election Insider
The wealth of presidential primaries and caucuses on Super Tuesday and beyond have failed to produce a clear front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination but have shown a population increasingly tuned in to and motivated by the Democratic contest.
February 4 Election Insider
The most striking feature of the Democratic primary season, at least to date, has been remarkable turnout. State after state -- Iowa , New Hampshire , South Carolina , Nevada , Florida -- has established turnout records.
January 31 Election Insider
Bereft of delegates to the National Convention, a penalty imposed by the Democratic National Committee for noncompliance with the prescribed calendar, Florida nevertheless is worth a look.
January 23 Election Insider
In the week leading up to the New Hampshire primary, poll after poll had Barack Obama well ahead of eventual winner Hillary Clinton. Obviously the polls were wrong, but there were several other factors that led to Clinton 's unexpected victory in New Hampshire , some of which carried over to Nevada .
January 15 Election Insider
The Iowa caucus is one of the most influential events in the presidential nomination process. It is a strong indicator of the mood of the country.
For more information on NCEC's Election Insider contact Michael Piel at 202-639-8300.
Election Insider
February 21 Election Insider
A Look Back At 2006 Raises Warning Signs For 2008
Mark Gersh, Washington Director
Democrats scored an unprecedented victory at the polls in 2006. For the first time since 1922, during the first term of the Harding administration, every party candidate, incumbent and open-seat contender, were re-elected. Furthermore, Democrats beat 23 Republican incumbents and won 7 open GOP seats.
As of now, US House Democrats enjoy a 31-seat (233-202) advantage over Republicans, their highest total since 1992. Moreover, for the first time in 15 years, congressional Democrats won a majority of the national popular vote, and swept to victory in almost all demographic groups:
- Democrats won a majority of the suburban vote.
- Democrats came within 2% of winning the rural vote. (49-51%)
- Closing the gender gap, Democrats won majorities of women and men.(60-38%) and (50-47%)
- Democrats won the 18–29 age group by more than 20%. (60-38%)
- Democrats constructed a majority in all income groups up to voters earning $100,000 per year.
- Democrats won all but one education group from non-high-school graduates to voters with post-graduate degrees, and in the one they did not win—college graduates—they tied.
- Democrats reversed GOP-gains among Hispanic voters, and won 69% of the vote of the nation's fastest-growing demographic group. Democrats also won 61% of the Asian vote and 89% of the African-American vote.
- Democrats swept to victory with all religious groups, highlighted by an 11% margin among Catholic voters.
- Most notably, Democrats united the liberal and moderate segments of the electorate, overwhelmingly winning the independent and moderate vote. (60-38%)
Clearly, the nation spoke emphatically and decisively. Only partisan gerrymandering constrained an even larger victory that might have reached 50 seats, if fairer district lines had been drawn in such states as Michigan, Florida and Ohio.
Looking ahead to 2008, Democrats have reason to be optimistic, yet cautious. Early public opinion polls confer favorable reviews to Democratic leaders, including Speaker Pelosi, and their issues agenda. Already, congressional Democrats have increased the minimum wage, imposed tougher ethics requirements, and eased the path to import lower-cost drugs for senior citizens. Despite last week's narrow defeat of the first resolution concerning the war in Iraq, Democrats have changed the nature of the debate and put the GOP on the defensive. In the coming weeks, Democrats will move further to curtail the President's disastrous policies in Iraq.
Moreover, the Democrats are not exclusively playing offense. They must defend 61 Democratic-held districts won by President Bush in 2004. Conversely, only 8 Republicans represent districts carried by John Kerry. This disparity is one of the largest in recent political history.
Furthermore, Democrats were advantaged in 2006 by anemic Republican turnout in key districts from Texas to New Hampshire. In 2008, a more uniform and heavy turnout is expected.
In recent electoral history, successful political parties have been hindered by the “bounce-back phenomenon.” This trend, which has existed since 1978, has stubbornly penalized the party that gained seats in a previous election.
For example: Democrats won 26 seats in 2002 and then lost 14 in 2004; Republicans gained 52 seats in 1994; but lost 9 in 1996, 5 more in 1998, and an additional 2 in 2000. Even reaching back to the Watergate era, Democrats won 44 seats from 1974 to 1976, and then turned around and lost 18 in 1978.
So while there is reason to be optimistic about the next election, there is also ample cause for restrained expectations. If the Republicans gain 16 seats in the next election, Democrats would lose control of the House. At this point, the Republicans seem demoralized and disorganized—but that can quickly change—and there is evidence that the country continues to remain sharply divided between Republicans and Democrats. The 2008 election could be another cliffhanger, and a crucial test of NCEC resources and skills.
