Posts by Dr. Eric Ostermeier
Pennsylvania GOP Hosts 2nd Most Competitive Gubernatorial Primary in 85+ Years
Scott Wagner’s 7-point win ranks as the fifth closest race in the GOP race for governor during the direct primary era.
Read MoreTaking the Night Off
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf ran unopposed in his 2018 renomination bid to become just the third Democrat without a challenger since the state’s first gubernatorial primary in 1914. Wolf joins attorney John Hemphill (1930) and Governor Ed Rendell (2006) among the 27 nominees selected during the direct primary era. Meanwhile, Republican gubernatorial nominees have run…
Read MoreI’m Charles, Not William
Two records that are likely never to be broken in the annals of Nebraska electoral history are the nine appearances on a major party gubernatorial primary ballot – and seven nominations won – by Democrat Charles Bryan spanning the 1910s to the 1940s. The Lincoln mayor lost his first two nomination attempts in 1916 and…
Read MoreIdaho GOP to Host Largest Gubernatorial Primary Field in Party History
With seven Republican candidates on the ballot Tuesday, only 1936’s Democratic primary with eight candidates served up a bigger field.
Read MoreNothing to See Here: A Review of Indiana Democratic US Senate Primaries
The party has hosted only one contested primary for the office over the last dozen cycles since 1988.
Read MoreJoe Manchin Turns in 3rd Weakest US Senate Renomination Bid In West Virginia History
It had been 78 years since an incumbent from either party garnered less support in a Mountain State U.S. Senate primary.
Read MoreIt’s All Relative: Indiana Edition, Part II
Slightly more than 1 in 20 Hoosiers entering Congress since statehood had a family member precede them in one of the two legislative chambers.
Read MoreIt’s All Relative: Indiana Edition, Part I
Eight members of Congress from Indiana have simultaneously served alongside family members on the Hill; the Braun brothers hope their names will be added to that list after 2018.
Read MoreWill Richard Painter Give Minnesota DFLers a Rare Competitive US Senate Primary?
Only one DFL primary has been decided by single digits with the closest race involving an incumbent decided by 25 points.
Read MoreWill Minnesota Democrats Extend Their Statewide Winning Streak to 20 in 2018?
A sweep of the state’s U.S. Senate seats and constitutional offices will give the party the largest partisan winning streak in Minnesota in a century.
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