Posts by Dr. Eric Ostermeier
Bachmann’s Potential Presidential Pathway Not Well-Trodden
Only one sitting member of the U.S. House has been elected president in history (Garfield); only three presidents have been elected with U.S. Representative as the highest elected office attained on their resume
Read MoreWhat’s in a Name? From Abraham to Zell, 100 Years of U.S. Senators
John, William, and James are the most common of the 313 different first names used by the more than 875 Senators elected or appointed during the last 100 years; trending: Mark and Mike
Read MoreHistory Suggests Leslie Frazier Unlikely to Lead Vikings to Winning Record in 2011
Only 5 of 41 head coaches in NFC Central Division history have notched a winning record in their first year with the team; only two have made the playoffs
Read MoreWhich U.S. Senate Seats Have Had the Most Partisan Turnover?
Six seats up for election in 2012 rank in the top 10 for the most frequent change in party control since the introduction of popular vote elections, including Sherrod Brown’s (OH), Claire McCaskill’s (MO), and Joe Lieberman’s (CT)
Read MoreIowa’s Population Rank Over the Last 100 Years
Iowa has been eclipsed in population by 15 states since its #15 ranking after the 1910 Census (and passed none)
Read MoreMinnesota’s Population Rank Over the Last 100 Years
The Gopher State has ranked as high as #17 and as low as #21 for population in the U.S. since the 1910 Census
Read MoreSouth Dakota Edges Minnesota for Largest Population Growth Rate in Midwest
South Dakota ends a string of three consecutive decades in which Minnesota led the 12-state region in rate of growth
Read MoreReapportionment Election Cycles See Highest Turnover in Partisan Control of Presidency
Political parties have lost control of the White House in years ending in ‘2’ at more than twice the rate than all other election cycles since the 1850s
Read MoreCould Russ Feingold Win Herb Kohl’s U.S. Senate Seat in 2012?
Nineteen U.S. Senators have served both U.S. Senate seats from their state over the past 100 years including ten who (like Feingold) were previously voted out of office
Read MoreU.S.-Wisconsin Unemployment Rate Differential at Largest Mark in 17 Years
Not since 1993 has Wisconsin’s jobless rate been 2.2 points lower than that of the nation overall
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