Health Care Vote Countdown: The Political Path to 216
March 18, 2010
Health Care Vote Countdown: The Political Path to 216
House Editor David Wasserman offers a primer for the final stretch of House Democrats' health care whip count. As all eyes fixate on Speaker Nancy Pelosi's poker face in the restless run-up to a high-stakes vote, the most suspenseful question isn't necessarily whether Democrats will have 216 votes to "deem and pass" a reconciliation bill. It's which Democrats "on the bubble" will provide the votes to put the bill over the top when it comes to the floor, most likely on Sunday. And the math is fraught with political considerations.
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HI-01 Special Election: Three-Way Fight is a Toss Up
March 18, 2010
HI-01 Special Election: Three-Way Fight is a Toss Up
As we noted in last week’s Hawaii rundown, the unique winner-take-all rules of the all-mail special election race to fill the seat of gubernatorial candidate Rep. Neil Abercrombie (HI-01) create a low hurdle for Republican Honolulu Councilman Charles Djou to clear in a race against two Democrats. Now, there is genuine concern among Democrats that while Djou is up on air with appealing intro ads that don’t mention his party affiliation, neither state Sen. Colleen Hanabusa nor former Rep. Ed Case are running great campaigns. Case may enjoy an early lead, but he also has the least money. Furthermore, Democratic Sens. Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka will do all they can to ensure Hanabusa overtakes Case, their longstanding rival.
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Democrats Double Trouble
March 16, 2010
When Democrats make the case for their fortunes rebounding in time for the November midterm elections, almost invariably their hopes are built around a rather significant improvement in the unemployment situation or the passage of major health care reform legislation that becomes popular with voters, or both.
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Is It Tea Time Everywhere?
March 9, 2010
When you have a theory about something, a useful exercise to conduct is to ask yourself, "If I am wrong, why am I wrong?" If you're intellectually honest, there's nobody better to poke holes in your theory than yourself. Presumably, you have studied and thought about the issue a great deal, and looked at it from many angles, and alternative theories would almost have to emerge.
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Kentucky Senate: Primary Contests Heat Up
March 11, 2010
Senior Editor Jennifer Duffy writes: With the May 18 primary less than 10 weeks away, the contests on both sides to select nominees for the general election to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Jim Bunning are starting to heat up.
Much of the activity has been in the Republican primary between frontrunners Secretary of State Trey Grayson and ophthalmologist Rand Paul, both of whom have launched their television advertising. By comparison, the Democratic primary between Attorney General Jack Conway and Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo has been relatively tame, but it didn’t start out that way.
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House District Analysis: HI-ID
March 11, 2010
House Editor David Wasserman releases baseline analysis for House races in Hawaii and Idaho, including the special election race to succeed Hawaii Democratic Rep. Neil Abercrombie, who has resigned to run for governor. Although the Aloha State's 1st CD is President Obama's native district and gave him 70 percent of the vote in 2008, the all-party, winner-take-all format of the special election gives GOP Honolulu City Councilman Charles Djou, the best-funded candidate in the race, a chance to shoot the gap and win a plurality over two serious Democrats.
The fact that this election will be conducted entirely by mail between April 30th and May 22nd (unprecedented in Hawaii House races) only adds to the special election's unpredictability. Democrats are hoping that Democratic former Rep. Ed Case takes a large enough share of independents and allows Democratic state Sen. Colleen Hanabusa to hold onto enough Democrats to win, but this could shape up to be a genuinely competitive three-way race.
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Democrats Double Trouble
March 16, 2010
When Democrats make the case for their fortunes rebounding in time for the November midterm elections, almost invariably their hopes are built around a rather significant improvement in the unemployment situation or the passage of major health care reform legislation that becomes popular with voters, or both.
Read on
MASSACHUSETTS | District 10
TEXAS | Governor
NORTH CAROLINA | District 8
ARKANSAS | District 1
ALABAMA | District 2
