Chris Riback's Newsletter

Forget the Koch Brothers or Super PACs or even President. The most-watched player in the 2014 Midterms just might be a computer program called LEO.LEO is the always-on, data-crunching, poll-adjusting Senate forecasting model used by the New York Times. Each day LEO takes the latest polls and historical data from around the country, blends in other information like fundraising and national polling,...

Throughout American history, the balance of faith and politics has helped define who we are. And that definition hasn’t always been totally clear. Examples of extreme positives and negatives have dominated our headlines – from the clergy’s role in driving the Civil Rights Movement to the abortion wars that have ended in murder in the name of faith to today’s debates on same sex marriage. The Const...

You think it’s hard to manage your life? Your schedule runs at the mercy of your boss or your clients or spouse or kids… Well, I’m pretty confident your life is smooth sailing compared to today’s guest. Michael D. Shear is White House Correspondent at the New York Times. In other words, when the most powerful person in the world decides to go to Hawaii or Capitol Hill or Afghanistan or the Washing...

It’s no secret that trust in government and politicians continues to chill. From a recent Harvard poll of Millennials to earlier surveys of older voters, the question for Midterms 2014 may not be whom do we trust, but do we trust at all? But as our trust in real life politics may fall, our delight in fictional politics – hit television shows and other video programming – continues to rise. Is ther...

As the battle for US Senate control continues to dominate Midterms 2014, perhaps the most influential and controversial senator in the process is not even running. It ’s hardly an exaggeration that Majority Leader Harry Reid is the key Senate player in the races – spoken and unspoken. Whether it’s a Republican candidate running against his name or a Democrat benefitting from Reid’s Senate Majority...

With key Senate battles in multiple states, and both parties looking to build 2016 momentum, for Midterms this year, the old line is true: Every vote will count. So here’s some bad news for candidates who might be depending on young voters  for victory: Don’t count on it. A prediction of low voter turnout is just one finding from the always revealing Millennials Poll from Harvard’s Institute of Po...

It’s been more than a year since Michigan’s six-term U.S. Senator Carl Levin announced he was calling it quits. Like other Democrats, Levin made his decision early – giving his party the chance to choose its best candidate and build a big lead. While they might have their candidate, Michigan Democrats don’t have a big lead – if any lead at all. As the battle for U.S. Senate shapes up as the Midter...

As we continue our state by state deep dives, whaddya say we mess with Texas? In a place known for big personalities – big everything, really – this year is no exception. Of course, this year the eyes of Texas – and eyes in many other parts of the country – are on the Governor’s race. That’s where Democrats – with filibustering state senator Wendy Davis thought they had their best chance in 20 yea...

If there’s one state where politics never turns off, it’s Iowa. And while preparations for the next Iowa Caucus seem to start the day the current Caucus ends, there is, perhaps, a more interesting new development on the Iowa horizon – for the first time since 1984, the state is about to elect a new Senator. With Sen. Tom Harkin’s decision not to run for a sixth term, Iowa is suddenly another key p...

As we continue our deep dives into Midterm 2014 key states, we visit a place where the focus is not on the Senate, but on the Governor’s mansion. It’s also been at the center of every Presidential race since 2000, and 2016 is no different. In fact, the state may offer up not one, but two potential major candidates. Of course, we’re traveling to Florida, where the upcoming governor’s battle not onl...