Posts by Dr. Eric Ostermeier
How Do Failed Presidential Hopefuls Fare As US Senate Candidates?
More than a dozen candidates who unsuccessfully ran for president since 1972 later ran for the U.S. Senate – just three were victorious.
Read MoreMichele Bachmann and a Brief History of Minnesota US Reps Running for Senate
Sitting or former U.S. Representatives have been elected to the U.S. Senate by Minnesotans in only four of 20 candidacies.
Read MoreSeeing Double
On Wednesday, Democrats Doug Jones of Alabama and Tina Smith of Minnesota will be seated in the U.S. Senate. This marks the first time in U.S. history that two members of the chamber will be seated at the exact midway point of a particular Congress (March 4th of an even-numbered year through the 72nd Congress…
Read MoreAnd Then There Were Two
Utah U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch announced on Tuesday that he would not stand for election to an 8th term in 2018. Hatch is one of 17 members of the chamber to serve into their seventh term and the fifth to retire, joining Arizona Democrat Carl Hayden (1968), Louisiana Democrat Russell Long (1986), Mississippi Democrat John…
Read MoreMontana Could Make History After 2020 Reapportionment
No state’s U.S. House delegation has ever increased from a single, at-large representative to multiple members after two censuses.
Read More14 of a Kind
When Alabama Democrat Doug Jones is sworn into the U.S. Senate in the coming days he will become the 14th sitting member who won his or her first election to the chamber via special election. Jones will join California Democrat Dianne Feinstein (1992), Oklahoma Republicans James Inhofe (1994) and James Lankford (2014), Oregon Democrat Ron…
Read MoreMinnesota On Eve of Rare Governor and Lieutenant Governor Partisan Split
The top two constitutional offices in the Gopher State have been occupied by members of different political parties for 3,759 days since statehood (10+ years).
Read MorePaul Ryan and the Longest-Serving US Representatives in Wisconsin History
Ryan is currently #20 in all-time service and will sit at #17 at the close of the 115th Congress.
Read MoreMinnesota to Become 6th State with Women Holding Both US Senate Seats
After Tina Smith is sworn in, four states will have all-female U.S. Senate delegations.
Read MoreEight Is Enough: Alabama Democrats Make the Record Books
Doug Jones’ victory marks just the sixth time out of 56 attempts that an eight-election partisan U.S. Senate winning streak has come to an end during the direct election era.
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