Election season will soon be upon us. Though it is technically true that this is an “off year”, there are several elections occurring later this year that will set the stage for the 2014 midterm elections. In this installment of a two part article, we will discuss those 2013 elections that will set the tone […]
Archive | National Politics
RSS feed for this sectionMassachusetts Senate Race – why lightning didn’t strike twice
The 2010 election cycle, which was one of the most favorable for the Republicans since 1994, had its genesis in heavily Democratic Massachusetts, when a little known state senator named Scott Brown upset the Democratic Attorney General 52-47%. Lightning didn’t strike twice last night: Rep. Ed Markey (a Democrat with 37 years’ seniority in the […]
Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) vote in the Louisiana House of Representatives
When the Supreme Court essentially left the Affordable Care Act (i.e., “Obamacare”) intact last year in a 5-4 decision, it also allowed the states to choose whether they wanted to participate in the expansion of the Medicaid program. That created a situation where each state is is independently deciding whether to participate in this part of the […]
Decision 2014 – DefendLA poll on Obama approval, Landrieu re-elect, and gun legislation
One of the more closely watched US Senate races in 2014 will undoubtedly be in Louisiana, where three term Democratic incumbent Mary Landrieu will face Republican Congressman Bill Cassidy – she has never been elected or re-elected with more than 52% of the vote.
Decision 2012: What went wrong for the GOP ?
Introduction The election results of the 2012 Presidential election have been subject to many different interpretations, with each interpretation’s being dependent on the observer’s partisan bent. The current (dominant) narrative is that President Obama was re-elected on the basis of minority voters, and that the Republican Party is no longer competitive nationally, because it has […]
Voter targeting – an analytical approach
A common mistake those running for office make is a lack of understanding of voter behavior, which results in their spending unnecessary effort reaching out to potential voters. This article will address both the nature of the problem and what can be done about it.
Decision 2014 – GOP poll in West Virginia
Historically, West Virginia was a solidly Democratic state, with its rural and unionized industrial character. In fact, starting with the New Deal, the state only voted Republican in “landslide years” (1956, 1972, and 1984). Those voting habits changed in 2000, when Clinton administration policy regarding coal mining, as well as social/gun rights issues, enabled George […]
Decision 2012: a picture is worth a thousand words (Part 4: Shreveport)
In the previous article, we graphically displayed the election results by precinct for Lafayette. This posting is devoted to Shreveport.
Decision 2012: a picture is worth a thousand words (Part 3: Lafayette)
In the previous article, we graphically displayed the election results by precinct for New Orleans. This posting is devoted to Lafayette.
Decision 2012: a picture is worth a thousand words (Part 2: New Orleans)
In the previous article, we graphically displayed the election results by precinct for Baton Rouge. This posting is devoted to New Orleans: namely, the “urban core” of Orleans, Jefferson, and Saint Bernard.