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Sarah Palin? Frankly, My Dear, I Don’t Give a Damn

Nov. 19, 12 a.m.

If you are planning on reading a column about former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s presidential prospects, you will be deeply disappointed.

2009 Election Results Show How the Context Has Changed

Nov. 16, 12 a.m.

The discussion about whether the election results earlier this month reflected local factors or constituted a referendum on President Barack Obama creates a false choice.

Learning the Right Lessons From Tuesday’s Results

Nov. 9, 12 a.m.

Everyone and his brother has opinions about what happened on Tuesday, but not all assessments are equally correct, just as not all of the descriptions of the contests, while they were in progress, were equally on the mark.

After Hoffman, Rubio Is Likely Conservatives’ Next Challenge

Nov. 5, 12 a.m.

The defeat of Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman in New York’s 23rd district isn’t likely to change conservatives’ plans to turn their attention quickly to Florida’s GOP Senate primary.

A Lesson on How Not to Win Re-Election in Florida’s 8th District

Nov. 2, 12 a.m.

After almost 30 years doing this, I shouldn’t be surprised by anything Members of Congress do. But even I was taken aback when Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) referred to an adviser to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke as a “K Street whore.”

One Down, Two to Go: The Outlook for the 2009 Elections

Oct. 29, 12 a.m.

We are still a few days away from Election Day, but party strategists, operatives and local activists are already blaming their own nominees for their defeats.

A Road Well-Traveled in Drive to Hold Power: Destroy the Opposition

Oct. 26, 12 a.m.

I had to chuckle when I read reports that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada is preparing to run a decidedly negative campaign this year, with an unnamed adviser saying Reid would “vaporize” his opponent.

Will the Buckeye State Swing Back to the GOP in 2010?

Oct. 22, 12 a.m.

Get out your map and draw a big fat bull’s-eye on Ohio. The state looks to be a test of whether the GOP can bounce back strongly after two terrible election cycles, and that makes it a possible bellwether of what’s going on nationally.

Landscape Shift Means More Trouble for House Democrats

Oct. 19, 12 a.m.

Already prepared to deal with challenging midterm turnout dynamics that favor the GOP, national Democratic strategists now find themselves looking at higher unemployment numbers, potentially divisive foreign policy decisions and a president who lacks the luster that he had immediately after his inauguration.

New Jersey Numbers: Is the Gubernatorial Race a Tossup?

Oct. 15, 12 a.m.

Anyone in his right mind would now have to rate next month’s gubernatorial election in New Jersey as a tossup. After all, virtually every poll shows the race within the margin of error, and some recent surveys show Gov. Jon Corzine (D) leading GOP challenger Chris Christie.

New York 23: Another Train Wreck for House Republicans?

Oct. 13, 12 a.m.

While Republican prospects for the 2010 Congressional elections are improving and the GOP is likely to win at least one, and quite possibly both, of this year’s gubernatorial elections, the special election to fill an open seat in New York’s 23rd district is trending the other way.

Delaware Senate Race Is Turned Upside Down by Castle’s Entry

Oct. 8, 12 a.m.

Count me as at least moderately surprised that Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.) announced on Tuesday that he will run for the remaining four years of now-Vice President Joseph Biden’s Senate term.

Vote for Us — We Aren’t Nearly as Bad as the Other Guys!

Oct. 5, 12 a.m.

Next year’s elections are starting to look like a choice between bad and worse, if we are to believe the most recent batch of polling data, including the consistently reliable NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.

New Jersey Numbers: Don’t Believe the Corzine Surge Just Yet

Oct. 1, 12 a.m.

The gubernatorial race in New Jersey has not changed fundamentally recently, no matter what you may read in poorly produced Associated Press stories distributed by the Democratic Governors Association, the Democratic National Committee or Gov. Jon Corzine’s (D) campaign.

In Virginia, Culture War Looks Very Much Alive on One Side

Sept. 24, 12 a.m.

Somebody needs to tell Virginia gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds that the “culture wars” are over. Apparently, he didn’t get the memo.

Seniors, Health Care and Their Impact on the 2010 Midterms

Sept. 21, 12 a.m.

The nation’s two main political parties are a little like an old married couple. Both are carrying chips on their shoulders from past slights and injustices, real and imagined. It’s all about “getting even” these days — plus a dose of short-term politics for good measure.

For Some Incumbents, Vulnerability Is Already a Fact of Life

Sept. 17, 12 a.m.

It’s just after Labor Day of the off year, but at least a dozen House incumbents who narrowly won last year already have formidable opponents for 2010. One of the most vulnerable surely is Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (D-Ohio), a freshman who represents Union and Madison counties, as well as a part of Franklin County. (She represents all but the east side of Columbus.)

Forget Health Care and Afghanistan: Let’s All Talk About Joe Wilson

Sept. 14, 12 a.m.

The idea that South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson (R) created a firestorm about anything is amusing. Who, other than his buddies in the House and his constituents in the Palmetto State, has ever heard of the guy?

Poll Results Daunting for Democrats in ’09 Gubernatorial Races

Sept. 10, 12 a.m.

Given that I’ve spent the past 30 years reporting on and analyzing candidates, campaigns and elections, it should come as no surprise that I believe that campaigns matter. I’ve seen more than enough candidates who appeared headed to victory stumble their way to defeat during the post-Labor Day stretch.

All Signs Point to Another Top-Notch Election Cycle in 2010

Sept. 8, 12 a.m.

I began this year doubtful that we’d see much excitement in the 2010 elections. I’m quickly changing my tune.

Parties Make Tactical Choices in N.Y. 23 Special

Aug. 12, 1:29 p.m.

Like generals preparing to fight the last war, party leaders in New York’s 23rd Congressional district apparently have decided that the results of the special election in the state’s nearby 20th district is all the information that they need.

It’s Time for All to Recharge Their Batteries

Aug. 6, 12 a.m.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the photograph on the cover of this newspaper’s July 28 edition is worth an entire library.

Sizing Up the 2010 Senate Contests in the Summer of 2009

Aug. 3, 12 a.m.

Six months ago, the 2010 Senate battlefield looked relatively bare, with a few obvious skirmishes mostly in states with GOP incumbents. Three months later, the outlook had brightened dramatically for Democrats, largely the result of a number of GOP retirements and solid Democratic recruiting on those open seats.

You Have 4 Months To Learn to Say ‘Gov. Chris Christie’

July 30, 12 a.m.

The raid last week in New Jersey that resulted in the arrest of 44 people, including a number of officeholders, probably is the straw that breaks Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine’s back in November.

Capitol Hill Democrats Have Met Their Enemy and It Is Them

July 27, 12 a.m.

Earlier this week, I asked a veteran Washington-based Democratic political operative who has worked for more than his share of liberals whether he had seen any indication that grass-roots “progressives” were getting angry with the party’s performance on Capitol Hill and were starting to make their anger known.