Archive for 2006
Bush Drag Not Affecting All Republicans
One of the greatest fears facing republican strategists in the 2006 election is that the decline in George W. Bush’s approval ratings during the past few years is going to drag fellow republican incumbents down with him. While not…
Read MoreUS House Redistricting: Iowa Gets Lowest Marks for Proportionality
In the coming year or so states will begin to outline plans for the redistricting process that will go into effect in 2012 after the 2010 Census results. One way to measure the ‘success’ of these processes is to…
Read MoreVoter Turnout Uncertain for 2006 Election
A handful of scandals in Washington during the past year as well as low approval ratings for Congress in general lead one to speculate whether voters will be turned off by politics and stay home in November, or motivated to—as…
Read MoreThird Parties: Minnesota Leads the Pace in US House Races
Minnesota’s historical success of placing third party candidates on the ballot usually begins and ends with Jesse Ventura. In a report released earlier this summer, the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance also showed Ventura’s legacy in sustaining…
Read MoreBlue Dog Democrats Well Represented in Upper Midwest
The Blue Dog Democrats, though a dying breed, have a fair-sized delegation from the Upper Midwest. The Blue Dog coalition (originally formed in 1995) is a group of 37 conservative and moderate democrats who are seen as serious players in…
Read MoreMN: Split Ticket Voting Revisited
The latest Minnesota polls show the DFL surging in the US Senate race and in a dead heat in the gubernatorial race. The prospects of split ticket voting in these races was discussed a few days ago here at Smart…
Read MoreWill Minnesotans Split Their Ticket in November?
Three polls released inside of the last two weeks by the Star Tribune, Humphrey Institute, and Minnesota Public Radio all show DFL US Senate candidate Amy Klobuchar with a significant, double-digit lead over GOP nominee Mark Kennedy. These three polls…
Read MoreWI Referendum: Definition of Marriage
In 2003, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle vetoed a bill that sought to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The Republican-led legislature then initiated a constitutional amendment process (which passed 19-14 in the state Senate on…
Read MoreMN Senate: New HHH Poll Also Finds Double-Digit Lead for Klobuchar
Excerpts from a report by the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance on its new poll on the Minnesota race for U.S. Senate: The Democratic Party nominee for U.S. Senate, Amy Klobuchar, holds a commanding advantage over…
Read MoreMN Governor: Race Still a Toss-Up
Excerpts from a new report by the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance on its new poll on the Minnesota Governor’s race: Governor Tim Pawlenty and Attorney General Mike Hatch are tied in what is shaping up…
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