Larry Sabato and Kyle Kondik

Latest

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  Dec 6, 2013

  2014 US Senate Races Remain In State of Flux

  This is the macro view of the 2014 election, which matters a lot; in the event of a wave, smaller-bore factors - like the candidates running and the campaigns themselves - can be overwhelmed. But the candidates and campaigns remain important: Just look at the Todd Akins and Richard Mourdock's of the world.

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  Nov 23, 2013

  Kennedy and Me (Pt. 3)

  The Kennedy family soap opera became a permanent staple of news and culture after the assassination, a tale of triumph and tragedy interwoven. Sen. Ted Kennedy was nearly killed in a summer plane crash in 1964. My family had just arrived for a vacation in Myrtle Beach, SC, when the news hit; again, we gathered around a TV at the Holiday Inn awaiting news of his fate. "Not again!" everyone said, as the possible Kennedy "curse" came into national lore.

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  Nov 22, 2013

  Kennedy and Me (Pt. 2)

  After the campaign and inauguration, I went back to being a kid. I didn't follow politics closely, though there was always talk at the dinner table about Kennedy's actions on this and that. I did notice that mom and her sisters and friends got new hairdos. They were dead ringers for Jackie Kennedy's "do."

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  Nov 21, 2013

  Kennedy and Me (Pt. 1)

  Choosing the topic of this article was easy for me, because it's a personal story. No, it's not your usual "Kennedy and me" tale. I never even shook hands with John F. Kennedy. But his presidential saga, tragic assassination and evolutionary image coincided with my coming of age, influenced the career path I chose and defined the political world I analyze for a living.

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  Nov 14, 2013

  What a Successful Mid-Term Election Will Look Like

  When the Bard of Avon wrote those words some four centuries ago, he wasn't describing Republican Senate candidates in 2010 or 2012, although the quote works well to illustrate how great opportunities can be frittered away. But now that the 2013 elections are over and the 2014 cycle is beginning to take shape, we've been thinking: What are fair expectations for both parties next year?

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  Nov 1, 2013

  In Kennedy Assassination, Dallas Unfairly Blamed

  Mere moments after Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald, and two days after Oswald fired the shots that killed President John F. Kennedy, the professional football team from the city where the president was murdered took the field in Cleveland

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  Oct 31, 2013

  The Cost of Ted Cruz's Rebellion

  Those in the political world with nothing better to do Friday night were transfixed on C-SPAN or Twitter, following along with Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-TX) speech in Des Moines to the Republican Party of Iowa. Among those were members of the hard-to-define "Republican Establishment." The best way to describe the establishment is that they are the people who think that the 87 House Republicans who voted to end the government shutdown and increase the debt limit two weeks ago cast a smart vote, as oppos

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  Aug 23, 2013

  Is Rand Paul Another Barry Goldwater?

  Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) was asked recently what he would do in the event of a 2016 presidential contest between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). "It's gonna be a tough choice," he said with a laugh.

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  May 2, 2013

  Mark Sanford v Elizabeth Colbert Busch: A Very Special Election in South Carolina

  The circumstances in the race for South Carolina's 1st District between ex-Gov. Mark Sanford (R) and Elizabeth Colbert Busch (D), sister of comedian Stephen Colbert, are so odd that the result, no matter what it is, won't have much predictive value for next year's midterm.