“...a newsletter that both parties regard as authoritative.” — New York Times

Independent & Non-Partisan

Trusted across the political spectrum since 1984, the CPR offers analysis by a deeply sourced team who understands campaigns, polling and the dynamics that impact elections for the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, State Governors, and Presidential races. The analysis is delivered in an ad-free environment to subscribers.

The Original Source

The Race Ratings and Cook Partisan Voter Index (Cook PVI) are the original Cook Political Report measures that countless journalists, campaign officials, candidates, government affairs professionals, and lobbyists rely on to understand an evolving political landscape. In fact, the vernacular of races being understood as likely, lean or solid for one party or another were pioneered in CPR’s race ratings charts.

Accurate & Reliable

A recent review of CPR Race Ratings, surveying 1984 through 2022, revealed an impressive record of accuracy. Lean ratings were correct 95.3% of the time; Likely ratings, 97.4%; and Solid ratings, 99.9%. The Toss Up ratings were nearly evenly split, accurately reflecting their probability to go to either party.

History

After years of working in politics, Charlie Cook founded “The National Political Review” in March of 1984 before renaming it later that year to “The Cook Political Report.” Charlie’s idea was to create a non-partisan newsletter that would analyze American political campaigns from the perspective of someone who actually had worked both in campaigns and as a pollster.

“While the newsletter was my idea, begun when I quit my Capitol Hill job, withdrew the $6,000 from my Senate employees retirement fund and a $10,000 bank loan co-signed by my late father-in-law,” Cook said in 2021, “the real credit for its success should go to the several dozen very talented and dedicated women and men who… built it to what it is today.”

Since its founding, The Cook Political Report has grown from a one-person operation to a full-time staff of eight. The team has included the insights of notable analysts Jennifer Duffy (1988-2019), Chris Cillizza (1998-2005), Elizabeth Wilner (1992-1997; 2013-2016), David Wasserman (2007-present), Jessica Taylor (2019-present), Erin Covey (2024-present) and current Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Amy Walter (1998-2006, 2013-present).
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Testimonial
The Cook Political Report is the gold standard in covering campaigns.
KQED's Political Breakdown
Turn off cable news. Tune out other political punditry. Do yourself a favor and subscribe to the Cook Political Report. It is the foremost authority in Washington on election analysis, forecasting, and political race handicapping.
Tyson Redpath, The Russell Group
Highly recommended…The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, just a tremendous source of insights.
David Axelrod, Hacks On Tap, CNN
I decided to upgrade from being a casual fan of the CPR team to subscribing, when I realized the value a subscription offers.
John V., Houston, TX
The CPR with Amy Walter is a DC institution, as essential as the Lincoln Memorial or Ben’s Chili Bowl. I go to all three often!
Martin Hamburger, Hamburger Group Creative
Overall, we rate The Cook Political Report Least Biased based on a long track record of calling races based on known data. We also rate them High for factual reporting due to proper sourcing and a clean fact-check record.
Media Bias / Fact Check
The CPR has long been one of the absolute staples of American political handicapping... crucial...to the political community -- on Capitol Hill and nationally.
Punchbowl News
I love the Cook Political Report. I think it's wonderful…it's full of very straightforward information, but you also have a point of view, which is important.
Kara Swisher, On With Kara Swisher
The best, thoughtful – smart – political analysis.
Bruce Mehlman, Mehlman Consulting

What is The Cook Political Report?

The Cook Political Report is delivered to its individual, group and premium subscribers through www.cookpolitical.com and its weekly digital newsletters (on Tuesday afternoons and Friday mornings). Subscribers also have access to Cook Political Report analysts through periodic briefings and other special events. The CPR Race Ratings are available as an open source resource for those tracking Electoral College, Senate, House, and Governor elections. An API is also available for academic, personal and commercial use.

CookPolitical.com includes data and analysis of every current Senate and gubernatorial contest plus all 435 congressional districts, alongside the Cook Partisan Voting Index (Cook PVI℠), which measures how each state and district performs at the presidential level compared to the nation as a whole. No other organization specializing in political analysis provides such an extensive update on every single election contest with CPR’s Race Summary pages. The At-A-Glance rundown, updated biweekly, gives subscribers a look at who has filed to run in every federal and gubernatorial race, along with other potential candidates weighing campaigns.
What is CPR
No one covers politics like we do.

Editor-in-Chief Amy Walter

In August 2021, Amy Walter took the helm as owner, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, now known as The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter.

“I could not be more delighted in this transition, or more confident,” Cook said upon the transition, “that this team, under Amy’s leadership, will take the newsletter into its fourth decade with the same high standards of excellence, objectivity and rigor that has made it the industry leader, and upon which elected officials and campaign operatives in both major political parties, journalists and the entire political community have come to rely.”
Amy Walter
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