Economic Muck Gives GOP Hope for New Blood in 2010

It's a long shot, but many races competitive, Lieberman could switch

(NEWSER) - It still isn’t likely—OK?—but suddenly it's "within the realm of speculation” that the Republicans could recapture the Senate in November. With Mark Kirk’s primary win in Illinois and competitive races in Colorado, Pennsylvania, and California, a 10-seat pickup is now a distant possibility, Jim Vandehei and Alexander Burns write in Politico . And insiders tell them former Sen. Dan Coats will challenge Evan Bayh in Indiana, spicing up the fray. More»

Republicans go after House speaker despite failures in '06, '08

(NEWSER) - Republicans angling to take back the House and Senate in 2010—or at least trim their losses from the last two elections—are making attacks on Nancy Pelosi a central feature of their campaign, and it's already getting ugly. The GOP has been releasing statements mocking "Gen. Pelosi" for alleged strong-arming, and recently the House Republicans' campaign arm lambasted her stance on Afghanistan, saying Stanley McChrystal had "put her in her place." Pelosi called that sexist: "I'm in my place. I'm speaker of the House." More»

GOP could mount a comeback, if it plays smart

(NEWSER) - They got an electoral thumping in 2006 and did no better in 2008, but Republicans may be getting their groove back. The GOP is still polling at record lows, and the Ensign scandal won’t help the party buck its reputation for moral hypocrisy. Yet, Politico reports, the opposition is making shrewd attacks on President Obama’s programs, and a 2010 comeback is not impossible. More»

Polling inaccuracies might surprise us today

(NEWSER) - We keep hearing doom and gloom for the Democrats, and there’s a good chance that’s accurate, writes Nate Silver in the New York Times . But thanks to a few potential polling flaws, things could turn out differently; the Dems might even hang onto the House. Here’s why:

1. Polls often skip cell-phone-only voters—Some 25% of adults don’t use landlines at all, and their demographics lean Democratic.

But movement may hurt GOP more than it helps

(NEWSER) - The Tea Party movement looks set to emerge from next month's election with enough members of Congress to be able to advance its agenda, a New York Times analysis finds. Eight Tea-Party backed Senate candidates and 33 House candidates stand a good or better chance of winning and the caucus is likely to exert influence beyond its numbers, pressuring Republican leaders to cut spending and taxes and repeal health care legislation. More»