U.S. House
The Unsinkable Michele Bachmann
The Rothenberg Political Report came out with its first U.S. House rankings for the 2010 election cycle on Wednesday, and both of Minnesota’s competitive Republican-held Congressional districts made the list. Erik Paulsen’s 3rd CD and Michele Bachmann’s 6th CD are…
Read MoreWhy DFLers Can Stop Agonizing Over Losing to Paulsen and Bachmann
As Barack Obama’s victory in Minnesota was never in doubt, the DFL had three main priorities in the 2008 election: 1) Win Norm Coleman’s U.S. Senate seat, 2) pick up at least one U.S. House seat (either Jim Ramstad’s open…
Read MoreDemocrats in Stronger Position Than GOP to Make Gains in US House in 2010
Although history tells us it is a rarity for the party in control of the White House to make gains in congressional seats during mid-term election years, all the numbers from the 2008 elections point to the Democratic Party to…
Read MoreIowa’s Congressional District Map 5th Least Competitive in 17 Decades
Last month Smart Politics profiled the lack of competitiveness generated by Minnesota’s currently drawn Congressional District map – a map that has produced the third least percentage of competitive contests in 15 decades in the Gopher State. Minnesota’s neighbor to…
Read MoreDoes Keith Ellison Have a Mandate? Rep. Sets Freshman Re-election Record
If it seems as if Keith Ellison has a free hand with which to cast controversial votes in the U.S. House, such as his ‘present’ vote for the Israeli-Gaza House resolution, he probably does. The DFL Congressman registered the second…
Read MoreStance of Ellison and McCollum On Israeli-Gaza Resolution Shines a Light on Liberal Voting Records
The “present” votes registered by Keith Ellison and Betty McCollum a week ago Friday on the U.S. House resolution to recognize “Israel’s right to defend itself against attacks from Gaza, reaffirming the United States’ strong support for Israel, and supporting…
Read MoreHow to Save Minnesota’s U.S. House Seat: More Teenage Mothers?
Last month Smart Politics examined the political impact on the state of Minnesota should it lose one U.S. House seat as projected by many analysts, including a recent report issued by Election Data Services. Earlier this week, the Centers for…
Read MoreMinnesota ’08 U.S. House Contests More Competitive Than National Average by Double-Digits
As Minnesota gears up for congressional and legislative redistricting in the next few years, as well as the possible loss of a U.S. House seat, the Gopher State can take some pride in the fact that its U.S. House contests…
Read MoreUpper Midwestern Reapportionment, Part II: A Historical Overview
In a follow-up to yesterday’s discussion of the 2012 projected reapportionment, Smart Politics presents two tables to illustrate the diminishing political influence of Minnesota and the Upper Midwestern battleground states in the U.S. House as a result of population shifts…
Read MoreHow Much Will 2012 Reapportionment Reduce Minnesota’s Political Influence?
About a year ago Smart Politics examined the political impact of Iowa losing a seat in the U.S. House, as it is projected to do after the 2012 reapportionment. State Demographer Tom Gillaspy recently projected Minnesota is also on track…
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