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While only a few political strategists are predicting a Republican takeover of the Senate in November, Democrats may, in fact, lose the Senate if they cannot win several key races in the West, where incumbents such as Washington's Patty Murray are fighting for their political lives against surprisingly strong GOP challengers. Pollsters and political experts rate the Washington Senate race a tossup, which is hardly good news for Murray as she seeks a fourth term. Other Democrats west of the Mississippi are also in difficult battles. In California, incumbent Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer is in a statistical tie with her...

The Republican Governors Association has announced a very strong fundraising quarter, taking in $19 million from April through June -- their largest fundraising quarter ever -- with $40 million in cash on hand for this year's statehouse races. From the RGA's press release: "The RGA's previous largest fundraising quarter occurred in the 4th quarter of 2009, when it raised $11.9 million. This quarter RGA raised $18.9 million. The RGA's former mid-year fundraising record was $15.1 million. RGA is at $28 million this year - almost double the earlier record. In 2006, the last comparable election year, the RGA raised $28...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation's minority population is steadily rising and now makes up 35 percent of the United States, advancing an unmistakable trend that could make minorities the new American majority by midcentury. As white baby boomers age past their childbearing years, younger Hispanic parents are having children — and driving U.S. population growth. "The aging of baby boomers beyond young middle age will have profound impacts on our labor force, housing market, schools and generational divisions on issues such as Social Security and Medicare," said William H. Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution. "The engine of growth...

n 1992, incumbent Republican Congressman Bob Davis chose not to run for re-election in the Michigan 1st District because he was one of the top five politicians implicated in the House “check kiting“ scandal. Davis had represented the district covering the northern Lower Peninsula and the entire Upper Peninsula since 1978. Poor decisions made then by a state Republican establishment alienated many of the district's grass roots "true believers," opening the door for a former one-term Democrat state Representative, who won and went on to an 18-year Congressional career. Fast forward to 2010: The 1st District seat has once again...

A poll of registered voters in Illinois' 17th Congressional District shows about 40 percent of those surveyed would vote to re-elect Congressman Phil Hare (D-Rock Island) if the election were held today. The poll, commissioned by QuincyNews.org, was conducted by We Ask America on November 22 between 4:30 PM - 6:30. In all, 15,000 random residential phone numbers of registered voters in the 17th Congressional District were dialed, resulting in 1,278 people taking the poll. The numbers dialed were randomly selected.