U.S. Senate
A Year in Smart Politics
A look back at some of the reports that made headlines from Smart Politics in 2014.
Read MoreThe Short Half-Life of a First-Term US Senator
Three fell in 2014 and more than half of all defeated U.S. Senators over the last 100 years have been in their first term; at least one first-term incumbent has lost reelection in 47 of the 51 election cycles during the direct election era.
Read MoreTwo Female US Senators Lose Seats in 2014 for First Time in History
Despite losses by Mary Landrieu and Kay Hagan this cycle, female U.S. Senators have been reelected to the chamber at nearly the same rate (84 percent) as males (87 percent) over the last quarter-century.
Read MoreSenate Will Have Historic Number of Ex-US Reps in 114th Congress
With a Cassidy victory in Louisiana, the 114th Congress will convene with more U.S. Senators who previously served in the U.S. House than in any Congress dating back to at least 1899.
Read MoreMark Begich and Sean Parnell Join Small Group in Defeat
Over the last 50 years, just five pairs of incumbent governors and U.S. Senators from different political parties in the same state have been defeated.
Read MoreWill a Freshman US Representative Win a Senate Seat in 2016?
Tom Cotton and Steve Daines became two of just 19 House freshmen to be elected to the Senate over the last century; will a new freshman risk his or her seat to do the same in two years?
Read MoreRock Bottom: Democrats Hit Multiple Low Water Marks in US Senate Elections
Ten of the 34 states with U.S. Senate races in 2014 found the Democratic Party endure one of its three worst performances in the direct election era.
Read MoreMitch McConnell Notches Another Win for US Senate Floor Leaders
Floor leaders in the U.S. Senate have won reelection 87 percent of the time since the position was created in 1920.
Read MoreMark Pryor Loss Makes US Senate History
Pryor is the first of 89 U.S. Senators to lose a general election coming off a victory in which there was no major party opponent on the ballot.
Read MoreScott Brown Becomes 1st US Senate Nominee to Lose to 2 Women
Brown is just the fourth U.S. Senate candidate in history to face major party female nominees in three different cycles; he is also the first to lose in two of them.
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