The Mini-Midterms: Five Takeaways from Six Decades of House Special Elections
A Commentary By Kyle Kondik
Thursday, April 15, 2021
KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE There have been nearly 300 U.S. House special elections since the mid-1950s. These elections more often flipped against the party that holds the White House just like what often happens to the president’s party in midterm House elections but the president’s party has scored some noteworthy wins, too, which can cloud the predictive value of special elections.
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Six decades of special House election trends
Almost exactly 47 years ago April 16, 1974 Republicans suffered what would be the fourth of five U.S. House special election losses in the first half of that year. Bob Traxler (D), who would go on to serve two decades in the U.S. House, defeated James Sparling Jr. (R) in MI-8.
The Objectors Versus the Rejecters
A Commentary By Kyle Kondik
Thursday, January 14, 2021
KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE Roughly two-thirds of House Republicans backed at least one of two objections to a state’s presidential results last week. And a clear majority backed both. Generally speaking, members who backed both objections come from more Republican-leaning districts than those who opposed both.
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How House Republicans voted on Electoral College disputes
Hours after rioters and terrorists sacked the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday, the House of Representatives and Senate voted to certify the Electoral College victory of President-elect Joe Biden. The outcome of this process was never in doubt, but more than half of the Republican House caucus voted to object to the results in Arizona, Pennsylvania, or both.
Georgia Senate Runoffs: Breaking Down November, Looking to January
A Commentary By J. Miles Coleman and Niles Francis
Thursday, December 17, 2020
KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE In a highly unusual situation, both of Georgia’s Senate seats will be on the ballot next month one seat was already scheduled to be elected, while the other is a special election. As January’s result will decide control of the Senate, both sides are invested in Georgia’s outcome. In the regular election, Democrat Jon Ossoff made some gains in the suburbs since he was last on the ballot, but to beat Sen. David Perdue (R-GA), he’ll likely have to do even better.