Posts by Dr. Eric Ostermeier
Tom Latham’s Exit Revisited
Tom Latham’s surprise announcement last month that he would retire from the U.S. House at this end of this term was also an unusual exit in modern Hawkeye State history. Over the last 50+ years since the 1962 cycle, only…
Read MoreWill the Vikings Win More Games in Their New Stadium?
NFL teams have made the playoffs just as frequently and won more Super Bowls during the last five years in their old stadiums as compared to the first five years in their new facilities.
Read MoreMariannette Miller-Meeks: Try, Try Again in 2014?
Recycled losing major party nominees have won just 17 of 92 U.S. House races in Iowa history in subsequent races, with those running for a third time winless in nine attempts.
Read MoreMeet the 4 Senators Who Don’t Use a Home State Address in FEC Filings
While four Senators file from addresses inside the beltway, one Midwesterner files from his hometown, population 373.
Read MoreLandslides Ahead: Major Parties Still Lack 2014 US Senate Candidates in 8 States
It has been 96 years since the last time a major party did not field a candidate in eight or more U.S. Senate races.
Read MoreMitch McConnell: Not So Easy Target?
Only one of 14 U.S. Senate Minority Leaders in history have been defeated at the ballot box while no Senate party floor leader has ever lost when his party has netted seats in the chamber.
Read MoreLong Live Our U.S. Senators
Two fewer U.S. Senators are dying in office per year on average over the past half-century than during the previous 60 years.
Read MoreA Year in Smart Politics
A look back at which political institutions were covered the most at Smart Politics in 2013.
Read MorePressler’s In: Can the Political Rip Van Winkle Win?
A Pressler victory in 2014 would give him the record for the longest gap in U.S. Senate service in the direct election era.
Read MoreAdvantage Walsh in Montana US Senate Race? Not So Fast
Appointed U.S. Senators who subsequently run for their seat have been elected only a shade above 50 percent of the time.
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