Off-year races are used for bragging rights by the party that gains a seat or two, but the truth is, they are only sometimes an indicator of the future.

He’s become more prominent because he’s all but announced for president. That feeds into his legislative importance. He’s a sleeper. … Look at the list of who’s running. None of them are purists except for...

This is a big election, about big things — war and peace, the economy and all the rest. Real events over the next few months will have an impact.

It has been about 100 different issues.

This is a middling scandal, but it could go higher.

People don’t react to all these things like they are inside the Beltway.

I’ve had literally dozens of governors, senators and several presidents (talk to classes), and no one, other than the presidents, has gotten a better reception or more sustained ovation from these young people.

If you look at the polls carefully, they show that Americans are disaffected with the Bush administration policy in Iraq, but have very little confidence in the Democrats on that score either.

He bowed out relatively gracefully, and that gave him a ticket to future political life.

Dole could be blamed for any losses, and that is unfair.

The only thing we can be sure of is that the party that wins will exaggerate the results, and the party that loses will downplay the results.

Is it possible that he can come back? Sure. There have been some tremendous and significant rebounds in American history and this would be one of them.

A lot of people are watching that race.

The Senate and the House are at loggerheads, and it would be virtually impossible for the leaders of those two houses to be close friends under those circumstances. It would lead to suspicions from their...

It’s very hard for governors to say they’re on their own. Inevitably, there’s going to be taxpayer funds involved in their social life because they’re being guarded, they don’t drive themselves, there’s someone driving a...

He is very sharp. No one has any questions that he is well-qualified.

If Warner doesn’t find a strong candidate, he’ll be held to account by national Democratic activists who vote in Iowa and New Hampshire.

If the Democrats win it’s one more indication that Bush is a significant drag on Republican candidates.

Kerry’s great advantage, despite what some people say, is that the threshold is low, … People who have decided to vote against Bush are looking for an acceptable candidate, not another Abraham Lincoln or Franklin...

I’m not sure $100 million could elect Katherine Harris. You can spend $100 million marketing dog food, but if the dogs won’t eat, it isn’t going to sell.

This is what has caused Bush and many other politicians to shy away from any tough action on immigration. They fear the ‘r’ label_ the racist label. Almost by definition, it’s tough to accuse Richardson...

While Republicans may have lost the past two elections for governor, they can take comfort from the fact that they currently lead Virginia’s love parade.

Montana and Colorado are the two Western red states that seem to potentially moving back to the Democrats.

He’s going to have to walk a fine line.

There’s no way to spin this than anything other than a major defeat for Republicans and for President Bush.

Yes, Virginia voters will approve the amendment when asked, probably handily. After all, it gives them the right to re-elect a governor they like. They can still send packing a governor they dislike.

She has been in six months, and she has already had more controversies than the average congressperson does in a career. You never bet against an incumbent. But I tell you, in her case I...

Frist has managed to work himself into the worst of both worlds. He has alienated moderates because of his positions on Terri Schiavo. Then he has alienated conservatives on embryonic stem cell research.

People are trying to decide whether the man-made disaster is worse than Mother Nature’s disaster.

I think it’s a smart thing to do.

This is a red state, he came in on Election Eve and he had no discernible effect. If anything, he may have cost Kilgore some votes.

It was really Katrina that triggered this because there was genuine outrage. It opened the floodgates. [The media] saw that the American public was finally willing to listen to criticism of the administration.

He was frustrated. I don’t know whether he remembers or not, but he was very frustrated for a long while. He really wanted to be a success, and nothing was coming together for him. [People...

Every time we have a new videotape of bin Laden, it reminds people of the administration’s argument that (Iraq) is connected to the war on terror, whether it really is or isn’t.

I don’t think they have the ability to work it all out together, because there are too many other key players in the legislature, much less the executive branch.

They’re watching, … Warner has the responsibility as party leader to come up with someone who can give Allen a run for his money so Allen has to spend down the millions he’s accumulating for...

He doesn’t instinctively know what he should do in these circumstances.

Usually this happens after the mid-term election of the second term — during the start of the seventh year of an eight-year presidency.

In another state, this could be devastating and could mean instant defeat. In New Jersey, it will take more than this.

Rarely do you have a governor who’s already been U.N. ambassador and energy secretary as well as congressman. I mean he really does have a very rich resume. This just underlines it for Democratic primary...

The people running for governor or senator or president have been among society’s winners. To get to that point, they always believe they can beat the odds because they’ve done that before.

Every American is going to be reminded in these hearings that every vote on the Supreme Court matters enormously. They tend to disagree with one another, they tend to factionalize, so each new justice has...

It’s awfully tough to attack someone who’s served and sacrificed as much as she has.

Democrats certainly have no intention of backing him, and the Republicans at least many of the Republicans sense that he is walking wounded or walking dead.

He?s facing a potentially divisive primary, and most of the criticism he?s taking is from Democrats. He?s sided with Bush as much as he can. Iraq is enough. And he?s got to go out of...

In order to be nominated and elected, she has to try to demonstrate that she actually does have appeal in red states, and that she’s more moderate than people think.

I can guarantee you that the parties are going to absolutely flood that district with money.

It is a constant struggle for most public officials between representing average constituents and taking care of the interest groups and wealthy individuals who fund the campaigns.

Since Vietnam, the Democratic Party has been viewed as the weaker on national security issues. Who better to make the case than veterans of the war? It’s hard to accuse them of a lack of...

It’s almost been contempt of Congress — not legal contempt of Congress, but contempt of Congress by baseball, … They’re going to find out what real power is, and it has nothing to do with...