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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

White House Eyes Youth Vote Ahead Of Midterms

President Obama shakes hands as he arrives at a rally Tuesday on the University of Wisconsin campus in Madison, Wis. Morry Gash/AP hide caption

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Morry Gash/AP

Election 2010

White House Eyes Youth Vote Ahead Of Midterms

College students and young voters played a big role in President Obama's election two years ago. Polls show they still support him and the Democrats, though not by the record margin they did in 2008.

White House Eyes Youth Vote Ahead Of Midterms

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Buck Modifies Positions To Appeal To Colo. Moderates

Ken Buck accepts the Republican nomination for Senate on Aug. 10 in Loveland, Colo. Buck, the Weld County district attorney, defeated former Colorado Lt. Gov. Jane Norton in the primary. Eric Bellamy/The Daily Tribune/AP hide caption

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Eric Bellamy/The Daily Tribune/AP

The Tea Party In America

Buck Modifies Positions To Appeal To Colo. Moderates

Republican candidate Ken Buck is challenging incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO). In the primary, Buck used lots of Tea Party money to portray himself as a political outsider. He now needs to convince Colorado's huge swath of moderate voters that he can represent them.

Buck Modifies Positions To Appeal To Colo. Moderates

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The Tea Party In America

Tea Party: Help Or Hindrance To Republican Party

The field of U.S. Senate candidates is set for the November election. On the Republican side, the nominees reflect the rising influence of the Tea Party movement. Primary results have shown a shift to the right for the GOP. The question is whether that will limit the big gains the party had hoped for in the fall.

Tea Party: Help Or Hindrance To Republican Party

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The Tea Party In America

Tea Party Favorite Upsets Del. GOP Senate Primary

Virtually unknown a month ago, Christine O'Donnell rode a surge of support from Tea Party activists to victory in Delaware's Republican Senate primary Tuesday night. The results deal yet another setback to the GOP establishment in a campaign season full of them.

Tea Party Favorite Upsets Del. GOP Senate Primary

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The Tea Party In America

GOP Candidates Face Primary Challenges

Voters in seven states are going to the polls Tuesday -- in the last major primary of the election season. One of the most closely watched races is for a Senate seat in Delaware, where nine-term Republican Mike Castle is facing a tough challenge from Tea Party conservative Christine O'Donnell.

GOP Candidates Face Primary Challenges

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Election 2010

N.H. Primary: 7 Vie For GOP Senate Nomination

New Hampshire is one of seven states holding primary elections Tuesday. Three-term Republican Senator Judd Gregg is retiring, and a field of seven candidates is seeking the party's nomination to replace him. That senate seat is an important one for the GOP to hold onto in November.

N.H. Primary: 7 Vie For GOP Senate Nomination

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Politics

White House Makes Boehner A Household Name

If you haven't heard of House Minority Leader John Boehner before, President Barack Obama is trying to change that. The Ohio Republican could take over the speakership if the GOP succeeds in winning a majority of House seats this November. Between now and then, Democrats will paint a scary picture of Boehner.

White House Makes Boehner A Household Name

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Opinion

A Break From Politics At The County Fair

NPR reporters spend a lot of time chasing politicians around looking for interviews. Sometimes the encounter is in a district office. Sometimes it's in a diner. Sometimes the location, unexpectedly, becomes the best part of the story, as happened this week at the Stark County Fair in Northeast Ohio.

A Break From Politics At The County Fair

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Politics

Economy Threatens Ohio Democrat's Re-Election

The Stark County Fair in northeastern Ohio features poultry and pie, a headless lady and a midway. Fairgoers this year were also treated to a good bit of politicking, as freshman Democrat Rep. John Boccieri fights to hold onto the 16th district. His vote for the president's health care bill is one point of contention.

Economy Threatens Ohio Democrat's Re-Election

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National

Civil Rights Leaders Skeptical Of Glenn Beck's Rally

Glenn Beck and his supporters are staging a "Restoring Honor" rally Saturday at the Lincoln Memorial. That happens to be the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. Civil rights leaders are not happy. The event is billed as nonpolitical, but it is headlined by former GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.

Civil Rights Leaders Skeptical Of Glenn Beck's Rally

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The Tea Party In America

In Mich., A 'Tea Party' Is Denied Spot On Ballot

A state election board in Michigan has refused to certify a new political party called The Tea Party for the November election ballot. But the push to block ballot access came from members of the Tea Party movement in Michigan who allege the whole thing was hatched by Democrats.

In Mich., A 'Tea Party' Is Denied Spot On Ballot

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Obama's Personal Faith Leaves Public Wondering

A new poll by Pew Research says that only 1 person in 3 knows President Obama is a Christian, while nearly 1 in 5 thinks he's a Muslim. Andrew Wardlow/AP hide caption

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Andrew Wardlow/AP

Religion

Obama's Personal Faith Leaves Public Wondering

The president's personal approach to religion makes some uncertain about just what he believes. A new survey says that only 1 person in 3 knows Obama is a Christian, while nearly 1 in 5 thinks he's a Muslim.

Obama's Personal Faith Leaves Public Wondering

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Politics

GOP Jumps On Obama's Mosque Comments

The proposed construction of an Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero in Manhattan has become a divisive issue. Much of the opposition has come from Republicans, especially after President Obama said Muslims have the right to build the mosque. The GOP rhetoric is a departure from that used by President Bush. He condemned Islamic extremists but praised Islam as a great religion.

GOP Jumps On Obama's Mosque Comments

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National

Determining Who's In Charge Of Gulf Cleanup

The technique used by crews in Louisiana may be harming the marshes. Who is ultimately responsible for setting -- and enforcing -- the guidelines for cleaning up the Gulf?

Determining Who's In Charge Of Gulf Cleanup

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Asia

No Survivors In Pakistan Airliner Crash

A passenger jet carrying 152 people crashed into the hills surrounding Pakistan's capital Wednesday. Scores of bodies have been recovered from the area near Islamabad. No survivors have been found amid the wreckage of the Air Blue plane.

No Survivors In Pakistan Airliner Crash

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