Two weeks ago we were astonished that Eric Cantor, a well-situated House incumbent from Virginia, could get defeated in his primary. Now we’re astonished that Thad Cochran, the six-term Republican senator from Mississippi, could pull out a victory against his tea party-backed opponent. Whether incumbents are winning or losing, it’s the latest example of a …
Wow. Who saw the defeat of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor coming? Certainly not Cantor. Or the nation’s political establishment. And not Greg Giroux, political reporter for Bloomberg News, who sat with Political Junkie host Ken Rudin and together they shook their heads at one of the more amazing primary upsets of recent times. We also hear from Kevin Broughton of the Tea Party Patriots …
Once again, here’s your chance to not only win the coveted Political Junkie button but to star in next week’s podcast! Eight states are holding primaries on Tuesday, June 3. Lots at stake. Lots of winners and losers will be declared. And you can be part of that process. Submit your predictions to the primary …
With 8 states holding primaries on Tuesday, June 3, the Political Junkie focuses on California, where Jerry Brown is the odds-on favorite to win a fourth, non-consecutive term for governor. KQED politics editor John Myers outlines the long path of Brown, who was first elected governor in 1974. He’s seen his share of ups and downs in his decades in politics, but …
A relatively quiet Tuesday this week, but not in Texas. Runoffs stemming from the March 4 primaries will determine the political futures of two longstanding Republican fixtures: Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Rep. Ralph Hall. Dewhurst is perhaps the more vulnerable of the two. As lieutenant governor — by definition the most powerful position in …
It’s the biggest primary day of the year (so far), with six states holding contests. Here’s what’s at stake: ARKANSAS (polls close at 8:30 pm ET): Senate — Neither incumbent Democrat Mark Pryor, seeking a second term, nor his Republican challenger, freshman Rep. Tom Cotton, is facing a primary challenge. They will square off in …
It’s going to be a long primary season. So maybe we should decide right now that the strength and influence of the Tea Party should not be determined on a week-to-week basis. As Roseann Moring of the Omaha World-Herald reports, the landslide victory of first-time candidate Ben Sasse in the Nebraska GOP Senate primary was heralded as a big win for …
What’s a primary day without talking about the dramatic Tea Party vs. Establishment feuds going on in the Republican Party? Today’s primary in Nebraska, however, is more nuanced, as the leading candidates are just about equally conservative. There’s more to it than what we’ve seen in other states. The story line from the beginning fit …
The primary that kept us up late last Tuesday was perhaps the most inconsequential of all of them. It was the Democratic contest in North Carolina’s Second Congressional District, a seat held by Rep. Renee Ellmers (R) since 2011 and one that has become much more Republican following the latest round of redistricting. But one …
At long last, the 2014 primaries are here. And everyone is watching the ongoing collision between establishment Republicans and Tea Party insurgents. Speaker John Boehner, no friend of the Tea Party, won handily in his Ohio district. Thom Tillis, the establishment choice for the Senate in North Carolina, beat back his conservative opponents and won the nomination …