Opinion From Congress To The Cabinet November 24, 2008 • It's not yet clear how many openings President-elect Obama will create in Congress as he assembles his administration. But in recent decades, many of those selected from the House and Senate by newly elected presidents saw their seats taken over by the opposite party.
Opinion Will Bill Clinton Doom Hillary For Secretary Of State? November 17, 2008 • The latest buzz has Hillary Clinton as a potential choice for secretary of state in the Obama administration. But some of the same questions that surrounded Clinton during the vice presidential process are still around, and for the most part, they are about her husband.
Opinion Let The Obama Transition Begin November 11, 2008 • Following the elections, the Democrats find themselves reveling in their wins, while the Republicans are rife with recriminations. Also, a look at how the Political Junkie fared with his predictions.
Prediction: Obama Wins; Dems Gain In Congress November 3, 2008 • By Political Editor Ken Rudin's count, every state John Kerry carried four years ago is in Barack Obama's column today, and he is also ahead in several states that President Bush won. In addition, Rudin expects the Democrats to pick up seven seats in the Senate and 17 in the House.
Opinion Is 2008 The 'Year Of The Woman'? October 29, 2008 • Some observers have christened 2008 that way, but if you look beyond Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin, you'll find a landscape that is at best mixed for women. The outlook is not so great for Senate and gubernatorial hopefuls, although better for women competing in House races.
Opinion The Republican Party After Bush October 22, 2008 • Regardless of what happens to John McCain on Nov. 4 — and, with two weeks to go, it's not promising — there's going to be a new Republican Party come Nov. 5. The GOP is likely to feel a post-election tug toward the right, but it could also turn into a tug of war.
Democrats Lead In Presidential, Senate Contests October 7, 2008 • This election's October Surprise seems to be the severe crimp that the Wall Street collapse has put in John McCain's hopes of winning the White House. Going into Tuesday's presidential debate, the Political Junkie's predictions have Obama within a hair's breadth of the magic 270 electoral votes.
Opinion Low Expectations, Critical Role For Palin In Debate October 1, 2008 • If Sarah Palin has a Dan Quayle-like deer-in-the-headlights moment on Thursday, it could very well decide who wins on Nov. 4. The vice presidential debate takes on added importance this time around because of John McCain's age and Barack Obama's relative lack of experience.
Debates Deciding The Presidency? It's Debatable September 24, 2008 • What could decide the winner of this year's presidential campaign — perhaps once and for all — are the upcoming debates.
Palin Moved The Electoral Map, But For How Long? September 17, 2008 • With 48 days to go, the presidential election is up for grabs. The race is once again focused on a very familiar list of states, just about the same from four years ago. The magic number of 270 electoral votes will be culled from these states.
Opinion Will The Running Mates Matter This Year? September 10, 2008 • John McCain's pick for running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, is dominating the election talk, and a race once viewed as Barack Obama's to lose is now considered no worse than even. But there's still time for the momentum to shift yet again.
Analysis Kennedys And Conventions: An Emotional History August 26, 2008 • Monday night's emotional appearance at the Democratic National Convention by Sen. Ted Kennedy wasn't the first time convention delegates were brought to tears by a Kennedy.
Opinion The VP Picks: Good And Bad August 20, 2008 • We'll soon know Barack Obama's and John McCain's vice presidential choices, but the verdict on whether the selection was a good one won't immediately be known. Will the running mate be a good campaigner? How will he or she fare in the VP debate? A look at VP picks since 1964 offers clues to what to look for.
John Edwards And The Role Of The Media August 14, 2008 • With so much at stake, it is silly to simply say that John Edwards' extramarital affair is a private matter that's nobody's business. It theoretically could have affected the course of the nation for the next four years.
Stevens' Indictment Latest Blow To GOP Hopes July 30, 2008 • Given that Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) had been under an ethics cloud for months, his indictment on Tuesday nonetheless came pretty much as a shock. The 84-year-old lawmaker, in office since 1968, is the longest-serving Republican in the history of the Senate.
Analysis Who Will Succeed Obama Or McCain In The Senate? July 23, 2008 • This year's presidential election will create at least one Senate vacancy. In Illinois, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. is one of the possible choices to fill Barack Obama's seat, while Arizona's Democratic governor must name a Republican to the Senate if John McCain is elected president.
Opinion Democrats To Pick Up 4 Senate Seats — At Least June 26, 2008 • At least 11 Senate seats are in play this fall, says Political Editor Ken Rudin. He handicaps the races and offers his preliminary predictions.
Opinion Bill, Jim, Caroline? Readers Pick Obama VP June 18, 2008 • The end of the long battle for the Democratic presidential nomination hasn't cooled political passions. Readers of "Political Junkie" feel strongly about whom they want to see as Barack Obama's running mate. Bill Richardson, Jim Webb and Hillary Clinton — even Caroline Kennedy — are among their choices.
Analysis Obama's Possible Running Mates June 11, 2008 • Now that Hillary Clinton has suspended her presidential campaign and made nice with Barack Obama, we turn to the quadrennial Beltway blather about who will be the running mate. The long list of potential vice presidential picks includes senators, governors and former political and military figures.
Opinion Democratic Rules, Yes; Democratic Unity, TBD June 2, 2008 • "Unity" was the buzzword before, during and after Saturday's meeting of the DNC rules committee, held to resolve the status of the disputed Democratic delegates from Michigan and Florida. But unity was nowhere to be found at the chaotic gathering. Ken Rudin and Renee Montagne discuss the Democratic delegate fallout on Morning Edition Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/91061963/91054743" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Ken Rudin and Renee Montagne discuss the Democratic delegate fallout on Morning Edition Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/91061963/91054743" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Opinion The DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee Meeting May 29, 2008 • A meeting to talk about political party rules is hardly exciting to most folks. But Saturday's gathering of the Democratic National Committee's rules and bylaws panel has political junkies and journalists drooling in anticipation. It may be Hillary Clinton's last shot at the nomination.
Opinion Republicans Lose Another GOP House Seat May 14, 2008 • Tuesday's defeat in Mississippi was the third Republican loss in House special elections this year. The GOP spent more than $1 million on the race, trying to head off what could be an ominous trend come November. We look at the history of special races resulting in a victory by the opposite party.