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Don Gonyea Don Gonyea is a NPR National Political Correspondent based in Washington, D.C., and travels throughout the United States covering elections and the country's political climate. His reports can be heard on all NPR programs and at NPR.org.
Don Gonyea 2010
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Don Gonyea

President Lends Support in Red-State Races

With midterm elections eight days away, President Bush is out on the campaign trail, flying to Georgia and Texas, two states he won by wide margins in 2004. But the political climate is vastly different now; several states the president won in 2004 are now battlegrounds for GOP candidates.

President Lends Support in Red-State Races

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Politics

Bush Administration Alters Terms for Discussing Iraq

President Bush and senior members of his Cabinet all spoke this week about Iraq. A review of the statements suggests that the language used to describe the situation has changed. But does a shift in language mean a change in strategy coming?

Bush Administration Alters Terms for Discussing Iraq

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Surprising Battle Rages for Wisconsin House Seat

One of the best congressional races in the country is in Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District, which stretches from Green Bay all the way to the border with the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It should be a solidly Republican seat. But this election, it has turned into a tight race.

Surprising Battle Rages for Wisconsin House Seat

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Politics

Bush 'Not Satisfied' with Events in Iraq

President Bush concedes during a White House news conference that "many Americans are not satisfied with the situation" in an increasingly violent Iraq. But the president again rejected "a fixed timetable for withdrawal."

Bush 'Not Satisfied' with Events in Iraq

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Bush Makes Push for Two Imperiled Incumbents

President Bush gives some campaign help to two Republican incumbents whose re-election is in doubt. Virginia Sen. George Allen and Pennsylvania Rep. Don Sherwood both received visits by the president.

Bush Makes Push for Two Imperiled Incumbents

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President Bush Signs Military Commissions Bill

President Bush signs a bill authorizing military commissions that will be responsible for trying suspected terrorists. The administration is using the signing of the bill to paint the Republican Party in a more positive light several weeks ahead of midterm congressional elections.

President Bush Signs Military Commissions Bill

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Politics

Bush Defends Iraq, Nuclear Policies at Length

President Bush defends his handling of security and foreign policy, from the U.S. response to North Korea's recent nuclear bomb test to the war in Iraq. Despite polls that show the Republicans struggling in the midterm elections, the president said his party will hold Congress.

Bush Defends Iraq, Nuclear Policies at Length

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Security Becomes a Tricky Issue in 2006 Elections

The new threat to national security posed by the North Korean nuclear test underscores the main theme of President Bush's presidency: security. But it's not clear which party might best use the issue. New polls show a kind of sea change coming over the electorate, just four weeks from Election Day.

Security Becomes a Tricky Issue in 2006 Elections

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The Mark Foley Scandal

White House Struggles with a Week of Bad News

President Bush has had a challenging week. He has tried to keep the media focused on national security issues in the run-up to midterm elections. But the week was dominated by news of the Mark Foley scandal, Iraq and the shooting at an Amish schoolhouse in Pennsylvania.

White House Struggles with a Week of Bad News

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Opinion

Analysis

New Districts May Ease GOP's Election Troubles

The news has been mostly bad for Republicans this week: a scandal on Capitol Hill; a new book that sharply critiques the White House's anti-terrorism strategy; and a report of ties between the White House and Jack Abramoff. But with districts across the country drawn to protect the Republican majority, less than 1 in 10 House races are close.

New Districts May Ease GOP's Election Troubles

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Politics

White House Steps Up Rhetoric, Denies Charges

As Congress wraps up and heads for the campaign trail, the White House is ramping up its political rhetoric against what it calls "the party of cut and run." President Bush says his Iraq war critics are buying into what he calls "the enemy's propaganda."

White House Steps Up Rhetoric, Denies Charges

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Politics

Bush's 'Cut and Run' Comment Angers Democrats

President Bush continued his series of speeches on his administration's policies to fight international terrorism with an address to a reserve officers' group on Friday. But comments he made yesterday, criticizing Democrats for pursuing a "cut and run" agenda in Iraq, have drawn more attention -- and anger.

Bush's 'Cut and Run' Comment Angers Democrats

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World

Presidents of Afghanistan, Pakistan Dine with Bush

President Bush brought together two allies in the fight against terrorism over dinner at the White House on Wednesday night. The honored guests were President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan and President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan. The two men have recently been fighting their own war of words.

Presidents of Afghanistan, Pakistan Dine with Bush

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National

White House Urged to Release Full Intel Report

Over the weekend, several newspapers published portions of the National Intelligence Estimate that suggested the war in Iraq has fueled terrorism in the Muslim world. President Bush responded by declassifying parts of the once-secret document, saying that when taken in context, it supports U.S. policy in Iraq.

White House Urged to Release Full Intel Report

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National

White House Releases Intel Report on Terrorism

President Bush orders the public release of a summary of a classified report by U.S. intelligence agencies on America's vulnerability to terrorist attack -- and how the war in Iraq affects the effort to fight terrorism. Descriptions of the National Intelligence Estimate surfaced in newspapers over the weekend.

White House Releases Intel Report on Terrorism

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