Congressional incumbents

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Incumbent Ads Avoid 'C' Word
 Incumbent Ads Avoid 'C' Word 

Incumbent Ads Avoid 'C' Word

(Meaning 'Congress' of course)

(Newser) - Lawmakers running for reelection this year have been carefully avoiding some loaded words—like "Congress," "representative," and "senator," the Washington Post observes. With Congress' approval rating standing at just 17% (hey, it's been worse ), lawmakers are eager to distance themselves from the...

1 in 3 Voters Still Undecided
 1 in 3 Voters Still Undecided 

1 in 3 Voters Still Undecided

Good news for Dems? Not likely, poll finds

(Newser) - A third of voters still haven’t settled on their choices for Election Day, an AP-GfK poll finds. Sounds like good news for the Dems—but in fact, 45% of “persuadable” undecideds are leaning Republican, while only 38% are leaning Democrat, giving the GOP the same 7-point margin it...

Democrats Gain Favor on Handling of Economy
 Democrats Gain Favor on Handling of Economy
poll offers Dem hope

Democrats Gain Favor on Handling of Economy

Slim margin prefers them to GOP, and wants them to keep control of Congress

(Newser) - There's encouraging news for Democrats battling to retain control of Congress in this fall's elections, with the party holding a slender edge in public trust for shepherding the economy and small gains in those saying their finances are healthy, according to a new poll. The reeling economy remains people's top...

Support for Incumbents Dips to All-Time Low
Support for Incumbents Dips to All-Time Low
Poll Numbers

Support for Incumbents Dips to All-Time Low

...but half the population hates the Tea Party, new poll shows

(Newser) - It’s a bad time to be an incumbent, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good time to be allied with a far-right protest movement. In a new Washington Post-ABC News poll , only 29% of Americans say they plan to vote for their current House representative in...

Primary Upsets Signal a New Era
 Voters to Specter & Co.: 
  We Want New Blood 
incumbents take warning

Voters to Specter & Co.: We Want New Blood

Voters reject GOP, Democrat establishments

(Newser) - Yesterday's primary results show that incumbents from both parties are probably going to have to get comfortable with rejection. The results—including the ouster of Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania and the victory of Tea Party fave Rand Paul in Kentucky—signal a wave on anti-incumbent, anti-party establishment feeling that is...

Incumbents Win North Carolina, Ohio Primaries

So much for anti-Establishment fever?

(Newser) - Wait, wasn't this supposed to be the year of anti-Washington anger run amok? You wouldn't know it to look at last night's primary results: Incumbents won across the board in North Carolina and Ohio, while Indiana Republicans picked Washington veteran Dan Coats. Turnout was especially light in Ohio and North...

70% of Voters Want Incumbents Out
70% of Voters Want Incumbents Out

70% of Voters Want Incumbents Out

Country approaches midterm elections in sour mood

(Newser) - Right, left, and center, voters are unhappy: A new poll shows Americans heading into the midterm elections in the most anti-incumbent mood since 1994, with less than a third of voters leaning toward backing their current representatives in November. "I'm not really happy right now with anybody," one...

NC Liberals Forging New Party Against 'Turncoat' Dems

LIttle difference between parties, say activists

(Newser) - It appears that Tea Party-like trouble is brewing for the Democrats. A group of North Carolina liberals and union leaders disgusted by incumbent Democrats' votes with Republicans against Obamacare are forming a new party. Supporters of the nascent third party, North Carolina First, are gathering signatures to officially launch a...

Tea Partiers Find Campaigning Tougher Than Protesting

Movement must choose between the faithful, the electable

(Newser) - As this year's GOP primaries turn many Tea Partiers from protesters into candidates, the campaign trail is giving the populist movement a sobering lesson in political realities. In many districts with vulnerable Democratic incumbents, the GOP primary field is overcrowded with inexperienced candidates who are struggling to raise money, and...

Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln Draws Primary Challenge

Lt. Gov. Bill Halter takes on conservative Dem

(Newser) - Arkansas Lt. Governor Bill Halter officially announced that he’s running for Senate this morning, putting him on a collision course with Democratic incumbent Blanche Lincoln. Halter leans further left than the conservative Lincoln, and several progressive groups, including MoveOn.org, the Daily Kos, and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee,...

5 More GOP Routes to a Senate Majority

These shaky Dem incumbents could be next to make the GOP's day

(Newser) - The decision by Indiana Senator Evan Bayh not to seek reelection has put 10 Democratic seats—and the majority—firmly in reach of Republicans in the upcoming election. Politico looks at 5 most likely to make the job easier for the GOP:
  • Arkansas: Blanche Lincoln trailed a likely GOP challenger
...

GOP Has Decent Chance of Taking the House
GOP Has Decent Chance
of Taking the House
Analysis

GOP Has Decent Chance of Taking the House

2010 shaping up to be a wave election

(Newser) - Win or lose, Scott Brown’s Massachusetts race proves that all bets are off for November’s elections, which could see a wave so powerful that Republicans take control of the House. Though conventional wisdom holds that Democrats will lose seats but keep the helm, Sean Trende of RealClearPolitics figures...

Carly Fiorina Launches Calif. Senate Bid


 Carly Fiorina 
 Launches Calif. 
 Senate Bid 
ELECTION 2010

Carly Fiorina Launches Calif. Senate Bid

Ex-HP chief would face Dem incumbent Boxer

(Newser) - Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina says she'll run for the US Senate seat held by California incumbent Barbara Boxer. Fiorina ended months of speculation today with an announcement in an opinion piece she wrote for the Orange County Register. She's scheduled to make a formal announcement later in the day....

Bloggers, Unions Team Up to Push Dems to the Left

Liberal coalition will fund competition for centrist incumbents

(Newser) - A new political action committee backed by liberal bloggers and labor unions aims to push the Obama administration and Democratic establishment to embrace more progressive politics, the New York Times reports. Called “Accountability Now” the group will recruit and promote liberal candidates to challenge centrists in Congress. Their goal...

GOP Braces for Big Losses
 GOP Braces for Big Losses 

GOP Braces for Big Losses

Republicans in final scramble to save embattled incumbents in key races

(Newser) - The embattled GOP is preparing for heavy losses in both houses of Congress even as it wages last-minute battles for key seats across the nation, reports the New York Times. The Democrats, meanwhile, are making significant inroads into the traditionally Republican territory of suburban America, using their extra cash to...

Black Voters May Tip House Contests
 Black Voters May 
 Tip House Contests 
ANALYSIS

Black Voters May Tip House Contests

Obama coattails could mobilize enough to play decisive role in at least 10 districts

(Newser) - With black voters expected to come out in record numbers on Nov. 4, Democrats think a surge could flip as many as 10 hotly contested House districts in their favor, the Washington Post reports. “I was just thinking about the need to vote Democratic down the line,” said...

Troubled US off the Rails: Poll

81% say nation is chugging to grim future

(Newser) - The vast majority of Americans are pessimistic about the nation's future and believe the problem-plagued US is heading in the wrong direction. More than 80% believe that “things have seriously gotten off on the wrong track.” That's the highest dissatisfaction rate since the New York Times/CBS News poll...

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