Posts by Dr. Eric Ostermeier
Senators Greg, Bruce, and Michelle? The Names They Are a-Changin’
The Senate will likely add another James, Mike, and Steve to its ranks after the 2014 election, but could also welcome new Senators with names never previously seen among its membership.
Read MoreIs There a Presidential Drag On Gubernatorial Elections?
Only five of the 20 presidents to serve since 1900 have seen their party win a majority of gubernatorial elections during their administrations, and only one since JFK.
Read MoreNo Wiggle Room: The 2014 Gubernatorial Elections Are Lousy with Toss-ups
The eight tightest gubernatorial races in the country all involve incumbents and the 2014 cycle could yield the most gubernatorial races decided by less than a point since at least 1900.
Read MoreHaugh to Reach New Heights
The North Carolina U.S. Senate race between Democratic incumbent Kay Hagan and Republican Thom Tillis may go down to the wire next Tuesday, but along the way Libertarian nominee Sean Haugh is poised to set a state record for a…
Read MoreWill Burke vs Walker Be an Election for the Ages?
It’s a tall order: more than half of Wisconsin’s elections for governor have been decided by single digits in state history, including more than 20 percent by less than four points.
Read MoreThe Revolution Continues: 3rd Party and Independent US Senate Candidacies in 2 Charts
The rate of third party and independent U.S. Senate candidacies over the last two decades has increased 60+ percent compared to the first 75 years of the direct election era; 2014 may make the biggest splash yet.
Read MoreWhy Are We Obsessed with the 2014 US Senate Elections?
Control of the upper legislative chamber has flipped in just one out of five cycles since 1914.
Read MoreWill New Hampshire Split Its Gubernatorial and US Senate Vote in 2014?
Electing a Democratic governor and a Republican U.S. Senator has been a common practice in the Granite State over the last half-century.
Read MoreMike Rounds Fact Check: Is South Dakota a Purple State?
Rounds stretches the truth about the electoral history of the Mount Rushmore State in an interview with Bloomberg News.
Read MoreAn Idaho Six Pack
Two-term Idaho Republican Governor Butch Otter only polled at 39 percent in a recent PPP survey of the state’s 2014 race – just four points ahead of Democratic businessman A.J. Balukoff. Otter’s low numbers reflect his own struggles as a…
Read More