Posts by Dr. Eric Ostermeier
Where Democratic Tickets Are Born
Joe Biden’s selection of Kamala Harris to be his running mate means all 12 Democratic presidential and vice-presidential nominees since 2000 have been sitting (Joe Lieberman, 2000; John Kerry and John Edwards, 2004; Barack Obama and Joe Biden, 2008; Tim Kaine, 2016; Harris 2020) or former (Al Gore, 2000; Obama and Biden, 2012; Hillary Clinton,…
Read MoreMinnesota Primary Day Over the Decades
Primary day has moved five times in Minnesota since the first statewide primary in September 1902.
Read MoreMariannette Miller-Meeks and a Brief History of Retread Iowa U.S. House Nominees
The state senator is just the third three-time loser of a U.S. House election in Iowa to be nominated for a fourth time.
Read MoreRecord Number of Kansas US Senate Primary Candidates in 2020 GOP Contest
Eleven Republicans are vying to replace Pat Roberts; in only two other cycles have more than four GOPers appeared on a U.S. Senate primary ballot across 41 cycles.
Read MoreWhat Is the Floor For Ilhan Omar’s Primary Support?
Only six of 290 Minnesota U.S. Representatives since the DFL merger in 1944 failed to win at least 60 percent of the primary vote.
Read MoreCould the GOP Make Gains in the US House Even If Trump Loses?
It may seem unlikely in 2020, but almost half the cycles in which partisan control of the White House has flipped, the outgoing party still made gains in the lower legislative chamber.
Read MoreDon’t Sleep On Ohio
Ohio is on the brink of becoming just the third state in history to vote for the winning presidential candidate in 15 consecutive cycles.
Read MoreWhich State Will Be the Most Competitive in the 2020 Presidential Election?
Odds are strong that the state will be from the Southern or Midwest regions.
Read MoreIntroducing the Minnesota Historical Election Archive
A Smart Politics companion site two years in the making houses nearly 20,000 searchable election returns – the largest collection of Minnesota election results.
Read MoreRemember When?
Less than a decade ago, during the 111th Congress, Democrats held a majority of U.S. House seats in the (now very red) states of Arkansas (three of four seats), Indiana (five of nine), Mississippi (three of four), North Dakota (at-large), South Dakota (at-large), Tennessee (five of nine), and West Virginia (two of three). Cumulatively, Democrats…
Read More