It's All Politics

How A College Kid May Have Helped Pick A Congressman()  

Thomas Massie's opponents were quick to complain that out-of-state money had "stolen" the election for him after he won the GOP nomination in Kentucky's 4th Congressional District.

May 23, 2012 Insurgent candidates won contested congressional GOP primaries in two states Tuesday. In a Kentucky district, the favorite for the fall prevailed thanks to some assistance from a wealthy 21-year-old benefactor.

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It's All Politics

Mitt Romney Vs. Rand Paul In 2016?()  

Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, and his son, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., talk at a campaign event for the elder Paul in Des Moines, Iowa, last August.

May 22, 2012 It increasingly looks like GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul and his passionate loyalists are consolidating clout in state party organizations with an eye toward 2016. They appear to be laying the groundwork for a future presidential run by the congressman's son, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.

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What Does Ron Paul Want? Hint: It's Not About The 2012 GOP Nomination()  

Ron Paul Revolution

May 21, 2012 Ron Paul knows he's not going to be the Republican nominee for president this year. Mitt Romney has it all but locked up. But Paul's supporters are flooding state conventions, getting elected as convention delegates ... and preparing for life after 2012.

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It's All Politics, May 17, 2012()  

A GOP superPAC has backed down on its plan to create anti-Obama attack ads featuring the president's former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

May 18, 2012 It's the 300th episode of the podcast! We hear from Ron Elving and Ken Rudin — and from The Listener, too. Plus: an anti-Obama group wavers on hearing more from the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Nebraska Republicans say they've had enough mudslinging, and Americans Elect fails to find a candidate it can promote.

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Tale Of The Tape: Ex-Governors Duke It Out In Va. ()  

Former Virginia Govs. Tim Kaine (left) and George Allen after a Senate debate in Richmond, Va., on Dec.. 7, 2011.

May 17, 2012 One of the highest-profile political matchups of the season is playing out in Virginia, where former governors with powerful friends and big-money backing are battling for an open U.S. Senate seat. The dead-heat matchup pits Democrat Tim Kaine, 54, against Republican George Allen, 60.

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It's All Politics

Lugar's Last Race: Indiana Senator Doesn't Take Defeat Sitting Down()  

Sen. Dick Lugar, R-Ind., crosses the finish line of the 3-mile Capital Challenge charity race with Olympic marathoner Meb Keflezighi. It was Lugar's 31st race, and his last as a senator after he lost a primary challenge this month.

May 16, 2012 Sen. Dick Lugar has been running in the annual Capital Challenge charity race for three decades. After Lugar's defeat in the Indiana primary, Wednesday's race was the last for the 80-year-old. "I have been so fortunate to have these 31 great years in good health and spirits," he said.

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It's All Politics

Minority Rules: Who Gets To Claim Status As A Person Of Color?()  

Massachusetts Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren is shown here attending a 2010 Capitol Hill hearing on the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

May 16, 2012 U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren's claims of Native American heritage seem uneasy to swallow. But why? What does it take to be considered an ethnic minority, and what does the controversy say about the way we judge ethnic backgrounds?

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It's All Politics

Little-Known Lawmaker Upsets GOP's Senate Plans In Nebraska()  

Nebraska state Sen. Deb Fischer applauds supporters at her election party Tuesday in Lincoln, Neb. At right is Fischer's mother, Florence Strobel.

May 16, 2012 Republican voters in Nebraska defied the expectations of pundits and the intentions of outside groups, nominating a little-known rancher and state lawmaker to run for an open U.S. Senate seat. Deb Fischer, 61, will face a former governor and former senator, Democrat Bob Kerrey, in November.

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'Joe The Plumber' Race A 'Microcosm' Of 2012 Politics()  

Republican congressional candidate Joe Wurzelbacher, better known as "Joe the Plumber," talks with supporters in Rocky River, Ohio, in February.

May 16, 2012 The conservative known for his role in the 2008 presidential election is taking on a veteran Democrat in a new Ohio district. An analyst calls the race a microcosm of "the culture wars that are going on in the country right now." Most of the candidates' funding is coming from outside the state.

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It's All Politics

Coming To A Political Campaign Near You: Outside Money, And Lots Of It ()  

Yard signs supporting U.S. Senate candidate Richard Mourdock in Columbus, Ind., on April 23. Mourdock went on to beat incumbent Sen. Dick Lugar in a primary race that received national attention, and a flood of money from outside Indiana.

May 16, 2012 Congressional candidates are increasingly raising money from supporters and groups who are ideological and outside their district — leaving some to say local voters and local issues are playing second fiddle to these donors' ideologies.

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It's All Politics

NPR political analysts Ken Rudin and Ron Elving delve into the week's political news and analysis in a weekly podcast.

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