Charlie Cook

Charlie Cook

Political Analyst

Charlie Cook is Editor and Publisher of The Cook Political Report, and political analyst for National Journal, where he writes two weekly columns . He also writes a regular column for Washington Quarterly, published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and is a political analyst for NBC News. Widely regarded as one of the nation's leading authorities on U.S. elections and political trends, Cook has appeared on the ABC, CBS and NBC evening news programs, as well as on Good Morning America.

Charlie Cook's Latest Posts
THE COOK REPORT

No Wonder Republican Criticism of Obama Isn’t Working

By Charlie Cook
They’re attacking the president where he’s least vulnerable at a time when they have minimal credibility. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Republicans’ Hatred of Obama Blinds Them to Public Disinterest in Scandals

By Charlie Cook
Red-faced Republicans, circling and preparing to pounce on a second-term Democratic president they loathe, do not respect, and certainly do not fear. Sound familiar? Perhaps reminiscent of Bill Clinton’s second term, after the Mon...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Republicans Should Go Easy on Obama, At Least in Public

By Charlie Cook
As a tactical matter, a subterranean campaign will score more direct hits on the president. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

While Republicans Rant About Benghazi and IRS, Public Mostly Yawns

By Charlie Cook
President Obama and his administration now find themselves in the middle of not one but two tough situations: the tragic killing of four Americans at a U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, and the Internal Revenue Service’s scruti...

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THE COOK REPORT

Virginia Is Much More Important Than South Carolina

By Charlie Cook
Forget Mark Sanford’s win in the Palmetto State. The race to watch this year is Virginia’s gubernatorial contest. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

South Carolina Special Election Won’t Tell Us Much About 2014

By Charlie Cook
Here’s a prediction: If not on Tuesday night, then certainly by Wednesday and maybe even through Thursday or beyond, one party will be crowing that its victory in the special election for now-Sen. Tim Scott’s former seat in Sout...

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THE COOK REPORT

The Fight for Millennials

By Charlie Cook
Democrats think they have the youth vote locked up. Think again. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

To Know the Future of Politics, Follow the Money

By Charlie Cook
One of the truest things ever written about politics is something that renowned Yale political scientist Edward Tufte wrote in his 1978 classic, Political Control of the Economy,  “When you think economics, think elections; ...

Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Too Early to Know Whether Democrats Will Fall Prey to Second-Term Jinx

By Charlie Cook
This early in the 2014 congressional midterm-election cycle, it’s impossible to know what the election will be about—whether there will be a wind in favor of either party and, if so, what the velocity and impact will be. Recentl...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Can Boston Be the Unifying Event That Our Nation Needs?

By Charlie Cook
No matter what the investigation yields, lawmakers should fight the urge to politicize the tragedy. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Democrats Risk Alienating Young Voters by Opposing Cuts in Entitlement Spending

By Charlie Cook
For liberals, Democrats, and others to argue that Social Security and Medicare should not be touched in any way sends the message that we are just going to run up the tab and send the bill to the millennial and subsequent generations. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Republican Advantage

By Charlie Cook
The decline of swing districts and the rise of partisanship spells trouble for House Democrats. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

It's Too Soon to Say Which Theme Will Dominate the Midterm Elections

By Charlie Cook
There are competing theories on what the 2014 elections’ dominant theme will be. But for the next few months, it’s smarter to wait and see. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Second-Term Jinx

By Charlie Cook
Ike, Nixon, Reagan, Clinton—presidents historically fumble the end of an eight-year term. With a hostile Congress, Obama faces a similar fate. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

In Tennessee, a Really Bad Idea

By Charlie Cook
You can hear bad ideas almost every day. But only occasionally do you hear a colossally bad, ill-conceived idea, one that leaves you wondering who dreamed it up. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Tennessee's Colossally Bad Plan to Change Its Primary System

By Charlie Cook
Most people hear bad ideas almost every day.  But only occasionally do you hear a colossally ill-conceived idea, one that you really have to wonder about someone who dreamed it up. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Sequestration Shows That Congress Needs to Be Fixed

By Charlie Cook
It's time to fix the institutional dysfunction that led us to crude budget cuts. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Rebuilding the GOP

By Charlie Cook
From Rubio and Paul to CPAC and Priebus, the party's reinvention is the best show in town. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

The GOP Faces 2 Stark Choices: Change or Go Over the Cliff

By Charlie Cook
As they head into the future, Republicans need to decide whether they will follow the path of hope or the road to ruin. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The GOP Keeps Getting Whiter

By Charlie Cook
While the country has become more racially diverse, Republicans' congressional districts have become less so. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

What History Tells Us About Obama’s Second Term

By Charlie Cook
Historical patterns offer insights into the future of politics. So, too, for Obama’s second term and the upcoming “six-year-itch” election. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

At the White House, As Goes the Budget, So Goes the Polls

By Charlie Cook
Voters blame Republicans for the sequester, but Obama is feeling the pain, too. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Sequestration May Be a Bad Idea Whose Time Has Come

By Charlie Cook
Early last June, I was having coffee with a longtime friend, a former Republican member of Congress widely considered one of the most astute watchers of Washington and the political process. This friend said he thought that budget s...

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THE COOK REPORT

The Threat to Republicans

By Charlie Cook
A new poll shows the majority of Americans believe the party is "out of touch" and "too extreme." Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Pain From Sequester Could Make Voters Angry At Both Parties

By Charlie Cook
As all signs point to sequestration taking effect, politicians need to realize there will be some casualties. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Why Obama Should Be Quiet on Immigration

By Charlie Cook
By taking strong public positions, the president torpedoes his own priorities. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Death of the Swing Seat

By Charlie Cook
The House is unlikely to flip to Democratic control anytime soon. The numbers just don’t add up. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Blood Pressure Rises Around the Beltway as Sequester Looms Larger

By Charlie Cook
Don’t be surprised if the barometric pressure in Washington’s atmosphere and the blood pressures of many Beltway denizens shoot up this week. As emotional, important, and timely as the debates over immigration and gun control ar...

Read More »
IMMIGRATION

Obama Reelection Push Ratcheted Its Wooing of Hispanics

By Charlie Cook
Overwhelming Hispanic support for President Obama was hardly preordained in 2012. He had to work hard for their votes. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Huge Hispanic Support for Obama Was No Sure Thing

By Charlie Cook
The president's reelection campaign had to ratchet up its efforts to woo the Latino vote. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Political Paralysis in Washington Can’t Dim America’s Bright Future in Other Arenas

By Charlie Cook
For those of us who live and work in Washington, too many conversations quickly turn to obsessing about politics and to hand-wringing over how dysfunctional things have gotten in recent decades. It’s easy to get pessimistic about ...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Pay No Attention to That Anemic Economy

By Charlie Cook
A scaled-back gun-control bill has a chance of passing Congress, but lawmakers can’t forget about the economy. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

A Little Sensitivity Training Could Go a Long Way for the GOP

By Charlie Cook
As they say, words matter. For Republicans seeking the long road back to being a national and broad-based party, the movement toward a bipartisan and comprehensive immigration plan is a start, but it doesn’t finish the job. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

One Thing Both Parties Have in Common: Wimping Out on Tough Votes

By Charlie Cook
Senate Democrats and House Republicans both want to steer clear of difficult and potentially politically costly votes. Read More »
POLITICS

Why the GOP's Faith in Older, White Voters Won't Hold Out for Much Longer

By Charlie Cook
The GOP's strength is older white voters. But to win elections, it needs to appeal to youth and minorities. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

For Republicans, Just Doing the Math Is Frightening

By Charlie Cook
The GOP's strength is older white voters. But to win elections, it needs to appeal to youth and minorities.  Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Next Fiscal Fight Shifts Focus to Spending Cuts

By Charlie Cook
Nearly everyone views the year-end fiscal-cliff fight as a debacle, but once that is accepted as a given, opinions tend to diverge. While one can say that the vast majority of Bush-era tax cuts were not just extended but made perman...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Congressional Republicans Are Striking Out

By Charlie Cook
John Boehner and Co. have to recognize that their style of play isn’t going to win them many games. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Holy Grail of Voters

By Charlie Cook
After covering eight presidential and seven midterm election campaigns, I still manage to learn new things or come to view things differently. For many years, I have been fixated on independent voters as the political equivalent of ...

Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Why the NRA Is Still So Strong Even After Newtown Shootings

By Charlie Cook
It’s pretty ironic contemplating the gun-control issue while sitting in front of a fireplace in South Carolina after a morning of turkey hunting. But it’s the issue that now is crowding out the fiscal cliff and even distracting ...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

To Win in 2016, the GOP Must Modernize Its Campaigning Now

By Charlie Cook
The GOP needs to modernize its campaign infrastructure. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Corporate Leaders Lose Confidence in Both Parties as Fiscal-Cliff Deal Remains Elusive

By Charlie Cook
Even many of us who don’t believe the United States will be going over the fiscal cliff still worry about the fallout that will likely occur over the next four or five months. The U.S. and world economies are in an unusually fragi...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

History Favors a 2014 GOP Comeback

By Charlie Cook
The party holding the White House usually loses big in the House and Senate once it's in its sixth year. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Fiscal-Cliff Negotiations Have Become a Roller-Coaster Ride

By Charlie Cook
It is a source of tremendous amusement to me that one day of every week contains a spate of news stories suggesting movement toward a tax and budget deal, only to be followed the next week by stories declaring that imminent disaster...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The One Pollster Republicans Should Listen To

By Charlie Cook
Exit polls all seemed to point Mitt Romney's way, says Glen Bolger of Public Opinion Strategies—except when it came to Hispanic voters. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

The GOP's Image Problem

By Charlie Cook
After back-to-back disappointing Senate elections in 2010 and 2012, Republicans (and others) are looking at 2014 and wondering not just how similar, but perhaps, how different, they could be. Two years ago, Republicans gained six Se...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Senate Democrats Earned Every Seat They Won--Thanks to the DSCC

By Charlie Cook
A postmortem on how the two parties' campaign committees performed in this year’s House and Senate races. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Romney’s Defeat Exposes Inconvenient Truths of the Republican Party

By Charlie Cook
Last week’s election is open to so many interpretations, many seemingly contradictory, that it offers something for almost anyone of any ideological or partisan stripe. Let’s take a closer look at the truth behind a few of these...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Advice to Obama: Make More Friends in Congress

By Charlie Cook
The president should make some friends. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Obama Can Thank Early Negative Ads for His Advantage

By Charlie Cook
Thanks to an early barrage of negative ads, the president has a clearer path to victory than Mitt Romney. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Chance of Split Electoral-Popular Vote Very Real

By Charlie Cook
Despite the playing field pretty much agreed upon, when you get down to the last handful or so of states, the best polling firms from each party are coming up with widely disparate results, with very different turnout assumptions as...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

If Obama Loses, Blame the Debates

By Charlie Cook
Independents now see Mitt Romney as a job creator. That wasn’t the case before the start of the debates. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Will Third Debate Change the Electoral Math?

By Charlie Cook
Although this race is very close, the road to 270 electoral votes is considerably more difficult for Romney than it is for Obama. The third debate did not alter that. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Possibility of a Popular, Electoral Vote Split is Very Real

By Charlie Cook
Don’t be too surprised on Election Day if the popular vote goes one way and the electoral vote the other. Mitt Romney could win the popular vote but lose the Electoral College.  Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: There's No Question, Romney Changed the Game

By Charlie Cook
President Obama has a fine line to walk in the next debate. He must be more aggressive, but going too far risks not coming across as presidential. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

How Good Are Romney's Postdebate Odds?

By Charlie Cook
By the end of this week, we should have a better idea of the true degree that Mitt Romney’s strong--and President Obama’s weak--debate performance had on this contest. In the live interviewer polls to respondents with landline ...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Romney Breaks His Losing Streak

By Charlie Cook
Before Wednesday’s debate, the presidential race had been shaped by the Democratic convention and Mitt Romney’s “47 percent" remark. Romney’s strong performance broke his losing streak, but the key will be whether he re...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Shades of 1996

By Charlie Cook
This year’s presidential race isn’t over, but Mitt Romney’s current trajectory in the polls will not cross President Obama’s by Nov. 6—or maybe even Nov. 6 of next year. If something doesn’t happen to shake up the race, ...

Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Pollsters Suggest Race Stabilizing in Obama’s Favor

By Charlie Cook
The presidential race remains remarkably stable, which is good news for President Obama and Democrats and bad news for Mitt Romney and Republicans.   Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Obama’s Uptick

By Charlie Cook
President Obama may be further ahead than some polls indicate. Surveys that don’t reach cell phone users are probably underestimating his strength.  Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Pollsters Agree: Romney Needs Something to Happen

By Charlie Cook
This election is still quite close and could go either way, but Mitt Romney badly needs something to happen to change the trajectory of this race. If things remain as they are today, he loses.  Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Obama’s a Good Bet to Win

By Charlie Cook
Without a change in the dynamics of the race, the president is likely to win reelection. And Republicans now have less than a 50-50 chance of winning control of the Senate. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Why Romney Is Falling Behind

By Charlie Cook
It is becoming clear that if President Obama is reelected, it will be despite the economy and because of his campaign; if Mitt Romney wins, it will be because of the economy and despite his campaign. Read More »

Obama Has a Thing or Two to Learn About Power

By Charlie Cook
President Obama’s acceptance speech should be judged on whether he succeeds in convincing Americans, or at least swing voters, that the next four years will be better than the last four years—or that he will be more effective in...

Read More »

Durable Democratic Momentum Is an August Mirage

By Charlie Cook
All year, House Democrats have desperately needed two things to happen to help them pick up the 25 net seats they need to reinstall Rep. Nancy Pelosi as speaker. First, they’ve badly needed a game-changing event to shift the conve...

Read More »
POLITICS

Obama’s Enthusiasm Deficit Among Youth, Minorities Could Haunt Him

By Charlie Cook
Analysis: Just as Mitt Romney’s challenge was to make voters comfortable with the idea of him sitting in the Oval Office, President Obama’s challenge this week is to reignite the passion among young and Latino voters. Read More »

As It Turns Out, Democrats Could Keep the Senate

By Charlie Cook
For Senate Democrats, the 2012 cycle was supposed to be about exposure to the kind of losses that would imperil their majority. Their goal for the cycle was simple: Hang on to control of the chamber by a thread. Just months ag...

Read More »

Obama’s Enthusiasm Deficit Could Soon Haunt Him

By Charlie Cook
Just as Mitt Romney’s challenge last week at the Republican National Convention was to connect on a personal level with voters and make them comfortable with the idea of him sitting in the Oval Office, President Obama’s challeng...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

What Women Want

By Charlie Cook
Top strategists from both the Obama and Romney camps are quick to point to suburban women as the pivotal swing vote in this election. Many of these voters find themselves torn about their choice, as evidenced by a focus group of a d...

Read More »

Tonight May Be More Important Than the Debates

By Charlie Cook
My biggest complaint with many younger political journalists is their lack of appreciation for scale and context. Some seem to think that almost every event is huge and consequential, and will remain so until Election Day. How often...

Read More »

Boutiques for Democrats and Box Stores for Republicans

By Charlie Cook
A pleasant day’s drive around Tampa offers a micro-level view of House Democrats’ dilemma. Read More »

Winning the Senate Has Become a Lot More Difficult

By Charlie Cook
Perhaps the one lesson that most needs to be relearned from one election cycle to the next is the tendency of campaign politics to surprise. This cycle is no exception, especially when it comes to Senate races. Read More »
CONVENTIONS 2012

Charlie Cook: Time Is Running Out to Cast Romney as Relatable

By Charlie Cook
As Republican National Convention delegates and the media descend on Tampa, along with an uninvited guest named Isaac, the presidential race is very close, according to virtually every national survey, as well as polls of swing states. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: The Presidential Race Shouldn't Be Close

By Charlie Cook
Given the state of the economy and voters’ disagreements with President Obama’s policies, the presidential race shouldn’t be a toss-up—but it is. If Mitt Romney loses, four factors will be key. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Shifting Focus

By Charlie Cook
Looking at the broadest numbers in the presidential race, things don’t look too bad for Mitt Romney. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Negative Impressions Hold Romney Back

By Charlie Cook
Why isn't Mitt Romney ahead? Low personal approval seems to be preventing him from fully capitalizing on the sluggish economy. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Close-Up Time

By Charlie Cook
As some of us predicted, the Supreme Court’s decision on the Affordable Care Act had little impact on the presidential campaign. Those ardently favoring or opposing President Obama’s health care law made up their minds long ago....

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Another Recession?

By Charlie Cook
The forecasts for economic growth keep getting revised downward. Similar numbers often precede recessions. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Analysis: Romney Campaign Risks Defeat

By Charlie Cook
This presidential election is starting to confound me. The fundamentals are pulling strongly in favor of Mitt Romney, but it is becoming increasingly apparent that President Obama’s campaign seems consistently a half step, sometim...

Read More »
POLITICS

Middle-Class Dreams Deferred

By Charlie Cook
Charlie Cook column: It’s the Middle Class, Stupid ! may be an odd book, but put it on your preconvention reading list.For many Democrats, it will become the playbook on how to talk to voters about economic issues. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Dreams Deferred for the Middle Class

By Charlie Cook
Democrats (and Republicans) should listen to what James Carville and Stan Greenberg say in their book about the middle class. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Mitt Romney Has An Identity Crisis

By Charlie Cook
If President Obama’s campaign machine can define Mitt Romney before his own campaign even tries, my bet is Obama wins reelection. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Skip Electoral-College Math

By Charlie Cook
Forget trying to map out all the various scenarios by which Romney or Obama can snag 270 electoral votes in the fall. It’s the popular vote that matters. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Waiting Game

By Charlie Cook
We still await the Supreme Court’s decision on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, in general, and on the individual mandate to obtain health insurance coverage, in particular. It’s worth reminding ourselves that, ...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Wave Bye-Bye

By Charlie Cook
One might have expected that two years after Republicans picked up 63 House seats—the biggest gain in a midterm election since 1938—Democrats would be on track to win back a boatload of those districts that the GOP didn’t h...

Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Pendulum Swings

By Charlie Cook
Just like the ocean’s tides ebb and flow, the pendulum of conventional wisdom on the way a presidential race is widely perceived swings back and forth. At some points, the conventional wisdom is at variance with the political real...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Obama, Backed Into a Corner

By Charlie Cook
The president's reelection campaign has little choice but to try to discredit Mitt Romney and hope that voters find him unpalatable. Read More »
POLITICS

Walmart Moms

By Charlie Cook
It isn’t hard to find plenty of evidence as to why this election is so close, why voters are apprehensive about both their own futures and the country’s. Whether it’s watching live video of two focus groups with “Walma...

Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Walmart Moms

By Charlie Cook
It isn’t hard to find plenty of evidence as to why this election is so close, why voters are apprehensive about both their own futures and the country’s. Whether it’s watching live video of two focus groups with “Walmart mom...

Read More »
COOK POLITICAL REPORT

The Cook Report: The Wrong Fight in Wisconsin

By Charlie Cook
When 70 percent of a state's voters think a recall election should not be used to settle policy disputes, it’s a fool’s errand to move forward Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Following the Money

By Charlie Cook
Everyone who avidly follows politics has his or her own list of the true “swing states” in this presidential election. The lists that really matter, however, are the ones kept by top strategists for the Obama and Romney campaign...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Poll Reveals 'Enthusiasm' Trouble for Obama

By Charlie Cook
The president faces an enthusiasm problem with young voters and Hispanics. If they don’t turn out in large numbers in November, he’ll be hard-pressed to win.    Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Trouble for Obama

By Charlie Cook
The president faces an enthusiasm problem with young voters and Hispanics. If they don’t turn out in large numbers in November, he’ll be hard-pressed to win. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Flip a Coin

By Charlie Cook
All signs point to a close presidential election. President Obama doesn’t appear capable of running away with the race. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

If It Hits the Fan

By Charlie Cook
Talk to economists and people who work in the financial markets these days   and what you’ll hear is reminiscent of the ominous warnings that you occasionally hear from pilots about strong weather fronts. We’re facing ...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: The Folly of Crowds

By Charlie Cook
Who says crowds are wise? When it comes to political prognostication, you learn which opinions you can ignore. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Charlie Cook: GOP May Want to Rethink Gay Marriage

By Charlie Cook
It’s unlikely that same-sex marriage is going to push the economy out of the dominant role in this election. Indeed, short of a major international incident, it is unlikely that any other issue will displace the economic ones. But...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Lugar’s Downfall

By Charlie Cook
Don’t just chalk up Richard Lugar’s primary defeat to the tea party. The sin of being too focused on issues beyond the borders of Indiana caught up with him. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Silence Is Golden

By Charlie Cook
If the presidential race were a football game, we would be at halftime. Admittedly, that metaphor comes up short. Having avoided a nomination challenge, President Obama’s team effectively got a bye and goes straight to the finals ...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Iran, the Election-Year Wild Card

By Charlie Cook
A conflict involving Iran doesn’t look as likely as it once did, but it still could upend the presidential race. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Tipping Point?

By Charlie Cook
When speaking with me about politics, one of my good friends will sometimes follow up with the question, “OK, now, Charlie, if you are wrong, why are you wrong?” For well over 40 years, this friend has been involved in markets, ...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: One-Track Minds

By Charlie Cook
Public volatility isn’t likely to change before Election Day. That’s because voters are still focused on the economy, and the signals about its strength are mixed. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

A Tight Race

By Charlie Cook
The Republican presidential nomination is essentially settled. A wave of polls, focus groups, and other survey research is taking the temperature of the race, with certain clear themes emerging. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: High Testosterone

By Charlie Cook
Mitt Romney has white men in the bag. He needs to worry less about them and more about women. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Harmony Talks

By Charlie Cook
The pace of the exceedingly fragile economic recovery over the 204 days between now and the Nov. 6 election is a lot more important than anything that either President Obama or Mitt Romney says over the course of the campaign. How f...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Down to the Wire

By Charlie Cook
Forget the talk about President Obama having the election in the bag. The race will be a nail-biter. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

The Even More Evenly Divided Congress

By Charlie Cook
With the election less than seven months away one outcome is likely: whichever party ends up controlling the House will have a smaller majority than the 242-193 one Republicans enjoy now (just under 56 percent); and the Senate's ...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Does Rick Santorum Hear the Music?

By Charlie Cook
The Fat Lady is singing. No one is going to deny Mitt Romney the Republican presidential nomination. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: The Young and Restless

By Charlie Cook
Young voters were sold on Barack Obama in 2008. But after embracing “hope” and “change” four years ago, they’re now more wary about the president. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

A Supreme Election?

By Charlie Cook
Count me among the few who don’t believe that this week’s oral arguments before the Supreme Court on the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, aka “Obamacare,” and whatever ruling the justices ...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: A Conflicted GOP

By Charlie Cook
Republican voters seemed to have three different job requirements in mind as they checked out the presidential contenders. Each prerequisite pointed toward a different candidate. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Longing for Long-Form Political Ads

By Charlie Cook
Call me old-fashioned and a soft-touch, but I loved the 17-minute “The Road We’ve Traveled” campaign ad that the Obama campaign released last week.   Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: GOP Incumbents Should Run Scared

By Charlie Cook
A new species of Republican voter values passion over pragmatism and falls in and out of love faster than a seventh-grader. That's not good news for GOP incumbents in the House. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Voters Watch Jobless Number

By Charlie Cook
The most-tracked economic indicator, the unemployment rate, doesn’t tell the entire economic picture. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: A Republican Family Feud

By Charlie Cook
The GOP is making life easy for Obama. The way they are going about nominating a presidential candidate makes you wonder whether they even want to win. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Shifting Winds

By Charlie Cook
The results of the NBC News/ Wall Street Journal poll released on Monday confirm previous survey data that show the Republican Party has suffered brand damage over the past few months. The GOP’s self-absorption and obsession with...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: GOP Headwinds

By Charlie Cook
Not long ago, Republicans had a clear path to take control of the Senate. But now, the GOP is bracing for a much closer call. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Polls Apart

By Charlie Cook
Polls these days show an unusually large degree of volatility. In the nine most recent polls covered by RealClearPolitics.com , President Obama’s job approval ratings have ranged from 44 percent to 53 percent, the highest any n...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Fading Chances

By Charlie Cook
With self-described independent voters near a record high, Mitt Romney’s chances—and those of the GOP—are fading. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Risky Business

By Charlie Cook
Rising gas prices and the contraception controversy are reminders that you should beware of projecting that the status quo will hold going forward, particularly with Election Day more than eight months away. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Racing the Clock

By Charlie Cook
It’s too early to know for sure what the fallout will be from the fight over the Obama administration’s proposed—and, more recently, compromised—requirement for religiously affiliated institutions to provide health insurance...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Right and Wrong

By Charlie Cook
How much will Mitt Romney have to tack to the right? In a prolonged GOP presidential campaign, he might have to move so far to the right to appease his base that he can’t get back to the center in time to win over independents. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Up in the Air

By Charlie Cook
Last Friday’s drop in the unemployment rate from 8.5 to 8.3 percent marked the fifth consecutive month of declines in the jobless rate. This decline adds to a growing body of evidence that there are some subtle but important shift...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Improving Fortunes

By Charlie Cook
President Obama’s reelection prospects aren’t looking as dim as they did a few months ago. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Tipping Point?

By Charlie Cook
Unless the polling over the last few days in Florida is completely wrong, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has turned back former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s second resurgence. Republican officeholders can now step back off...

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THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: All Stirred Up

By Charlie Cook
The House looks headed for a makeover, but one that could be more generational than partisan. Five factors point toward an election that brings a lot of new faces to Washington.  Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Solving the Rubik’s Cube

By Charlie Cook
As President Obama strides to the podium in the House chamber on Tuesday night, he might have a bit more spring in his step than a few weeks ago. The question on his mind, though, is the same as many others have: “What in the hell...

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THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Lower Than Low

By Charlie Cook
With congressional approval ratings in the basement, how many incumbents could lose their seats?  Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

‘Epic Battles’ Will Seal Senate’s Fate

By Charlie Cook
When one party has 23 Senate seats up for grabs and the other party has just 10, the side with more than twice as much exposure starts off with an enormous disadvantage. Nobody envies the predicament that Senate Democrats are in—c...

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THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Still a Millstone?

By Charlie Cook
If the unemployment rate this fall is 9 percent, President Obama probably loses reelection. If it’s 8 percent, he probably wins. Guess what economists are predicting? Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Lack of Conservative Option Boosts Romney

By Charlie Cook
Unless pollsters are all accidentally calling voters in other state, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is headed toward a fairly big victory in the New Hampshire Republican primary Tuesday.  Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Watch Out for Newt

By Charlie Cook
Gingrich could be the wild card of the GOP race. He can’t win, but he has a major score to settle with Mitt Romney. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Iowa Dust Starts to Settle

By Charlie Cook
The Gallup national tracking poll and various public and private polls conducted in Iowa indicate that the bloom is coming off former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s rose, just as it did for Rep. Michele Bachmann , Texas Gov. Rick ...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Glimmer of Hope for Obama?

By Charlie Cook
The jobless rate is virtually the same as it was a year before Ronald Reagan was reelected in a landslide. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

A Marathon or a Sprint

By Charlie Cook
Last time I checked, the final Republican presidential primaries were scheduled for June. In fact, my favorite resource for primary and caucus dates, Frontloading HQ , shows California, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and North Da...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Not Sold on Newt

By Charlie Cook
Gingrich still hasn’t mastered campaign fundamentals. And the fundamentals still matter. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

That Unemployment Drop

By Charlie Cook
Forty years ago, high-end computer and audiotape manufacturer Memorex ran a classic television ad in which jazz great Ella Fitzgerald sings a high note and shatters a wine glass. Then her taped music plays with glass-shattering crys...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Now It's Newt

By Charlie Cook
Gingrich looks to be the last anti-Romney standing. Can he take advantage of his moment in the sun? Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

It’s the Numbers, Stupid

By Charlie Cook
On Friday at 8:30 a.m., the Bureau of Labor Statistics will release the November unemployment figures. Like many other economic statistics and poll numbers, their impact on 2012 may now seem theoretical or hypothetical. But with the...

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OFF TO THE RACES

Super Committee Is Media Sideshow

By Charlie Cook
The unfortunate demise of the congressional super committee wasn’t accompanied by nearly the drama and hand-wringing of this summer’s debt-ceiling disaster, but its passing is more fuel for the fire of public disillusionment and...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Too Much Exposure

By Charlie Cook
Simple math suggests Republicans have that predicament in the House, while Democrats face it in the Senate. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Make Way for Newt!

By Charlie Cook
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, the presidential hopeful who has been on the national scene the longest, is finally surging in polls for the GOP nomination. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is still the odds-on favorite to ...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Obama's Economy

By Charlie Cook
The president didn’t create the bad economy. But now he owns it, whether he likes it or not. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Cain Scandal, Yawn

By Charlie Cook
As the travails of Herman Cain remain front-and-center, this “contest” for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination is becoming boring. Like a formulaic movie, few plot twists are unfamiliar and we all know how it ends. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Bombs Away

By Charlie Cook
A look back at the grandfather of negative ads. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Cain’s Troubles Help Perry, Romney

By Charlie Cook
It certainly wasn’t just me; a lot of analysts got some push-back for being so definitively sure that the 2012 Republican presidential nominee wouldn’t be former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain. As Cain surged in the polls, ...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Obama, Underwater

By Charlie Cook
The best barometer of how a president is going to fare is his approval rating, which starts taking on predictive value about a year out. As each month goes by, the rating becomes a better indicator of the eventual results. President...

Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

2012 Narrative Still Being Written

By Charlie Cook
Although plenty of political and economic diagnostic indicators are signaling danger for President Obama, this election season still doesn’t have a dominant direction. During the 2006, 2008, and 2010 cycles, the question was how m...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Coupon Clippers

By Charlie Cook
One of the occupational hazards of being a political analyst is the tendency to become too dependent on the reams of polling data and economic numbers that come out every week. So it’s refreshing to get a chance to observe focus g...

Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

The Cook Report: ‘Next in Line’ Redux for Romney?

By Charlie Cook
Although Texas Gov. Rick Perry survived last week’s debate at Dartmouth College, he must do better than simply surviving in the upcoming debates, starting with Tuesday night’s in Las Vegas.   Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Bird in the Hand

By Charlie Cook
There were still eight Republican presidential contenders on the Dartmouth College stage on Tuesday night, but this contest has clarified a great deal in recent weeks. Looking at national and state poll standings, fundraising, endor...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: It’s Perry’s to Win

By Charlie Cook
If he learns from his mistakes, the Texas governor will be Barack Obama’s opponent in the fall. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Charlie Cook: Christie Would Have Had to Scramble

By Charlie Cook
There were plenty of reasons for Chris Christie not to run for president. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Obama as Bush

By Charlie Cook
Charlie Cook writes that President Obama is borrowing a page from George W. Bush’s 2004 reelection playbook by deciding to curtail his largely unrewarded dalliance with independents. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Boehner’s Leadership Vacuum

By Charlie Cook
While it’s commonly heard around town that there is a leadership vacuum, maybe it is also accurate to say there is a followership vacuum, particularly on the Republican side. Read More »
CHARLIE COOK'S THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: GOP Wins Could Kill the Health Care Law

By Charlie Cook
What if Republicans win it all in 2012? In his weekly column, Charlie Cook writes that GOP majorities in Congress, with a Republican president in the White House, could repeal the health care reform law. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Perry Could Cinch the GOP Nomination if He Steps Out of Texas

By Charlie Cook
The 2012 Republican presidential nomination is Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s to lose. The question is: Will he blow it? To be sure, there are less polarizing Republicans, ones who are, have been, or should have been running, who would s...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: New York's Special Election a Sign of Things to Come?

By Charlie Cook
Charlie Cook says Democrats can’t write off their special election loss in New York to local circumstances. He says voters are basing their choices more on their frustration with President Obama than on their assessment of congres...

Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Volatility Now the Watchword

By Charlie Cook
The headline “Job Openings Hit 3-Year High” last week in Investor’s Business Daily was interesting, considering that unemployment is currently 9.1 percent and the jobless rate has been over 9 percent for 27 of the last 28 mo...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: On Jobs, A Little Less Conversation, A Little More Action

By Charlie Cook
Charlie Cook argues that the damage from the debt-ceiling debate is much more extensive than many people realize. He says it’s affecting how consumers view the economy. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Sluggish Economy Could Be Anchor for Obama

By Charlie Cook
Whether he likes it or not, President Obama owns the economy. Obama needs to figure out how to either shift that responsibility to the GOP or make the case that the alternative might be even worse. Read More »
POLITICS

Charlie Cook: Travels With Charlie: America's Summer of Discontent

By Charlie Cook
From Normal (Ill) to Peculiar (Mo), Americans of all political stripes are angry and perplexed. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Memo to the GOP: Independent Voters Are Required to Win the General Election

By Charlie Cook
The 2012 presidential election is shaping up to be one of oddest in memory and potentially far more dramatic than one might guess. Read More »
CAMPAIGN 2012

Iowa Survivor: Some Flagging GOP Hopefuls Show Signs of Life

By Charlie Cook
AMES, Iowa—If Thursday night’s Republican presidential debate was a reality TV show, it would be Survivor. Read More »
CAMPAIGN 2012

Memo to Incumbents: Tread Lightly

By Charlie Cook
After Monday’s gut-wrenching 634 point, 5.6 percent drop in the Dow Jones industrial average, any sense of complacency, of business as usual, should be gone.    Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Whole Foods versus Cracker Barrel: How Americans Are Self-Sorting

By Charlie Cook
More and more, politically like-minded Americans are living next to each other. Polarization is one result. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Congress Becomes a Laughingstock

By Charlie Cook
Never in my memory have both parties and both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue appeared as dysfunctional as they do today. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Living in Parallel Universes

By Charlie Cook
Even though each of them has exhibited occasional bouts of petulance, I must confess that I have great sympathy for President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner as they grapple with the public debt-ceiling and spending crisis...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Charlie Cook: All Signs Say 2012 Is Too Close to Call

By Charlie Cook
The 2012 presidential election will probably be a nail-biter. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Cook: Partisan Myopia Can Be Deadly

By Charlie Cook
One of the many problems associated with Washington growing so venomously partisan over the last two decades is that everything has come to be seen as binary. Something is either “0” or “1,” good or bad. And if one side look...

Read More »
OPINION

Cook: Blame Republicans for Debt Crisis

By Charlie Cook
The GOP’s debt strategy is risky. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Get Out of the Comfort Zone

By Charlie Cook
On a WAMU public-radio program on Monday morning, an hour before President Obama’s news conference, host Diane Rehm asked her studio panel of three journalists whether Americans who were not part of either party’s ideological...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Memo to Pols on Debt Ceiling: Must We Pay the Price for Your Dithering?

By Charlie Cook
The debt-ceiling debate is getting scary. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Worries on All Sides

By Charlie Cook
The latest Democracy Corps national survey, conducted by the Democratic polling firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, has numbers that should worry both Democrats and Republicans. The survey, conducted June 18-21 among 1,000 li...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Perry, Bachmann Ready to Rumble

By Charlie Cook
Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry could be locked in a long battle. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Personality Doesn’t Matter

By Charlie Cook
It’s hard to hear a conversation about the 2012 presidential election and not hear either a Democrat gloating about the weakness of the GOP field or a Republican lamenting the lack of a strong candidate. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Irreconcilable Differences

By Charlie Cook
These days, it’s painful talking to longtime friends and admirers of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.  The overwhelming view is that they hate to see what is happening to the Georgia Republican, yet all knew that his ca...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Medicare is Too Good to Last

By Charlie Cook
No matter how you look at it, Medicare “as we know it” is a great deal for seniors but not for taxpayers. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Charlie Cook: Owning It

By Charlie Cook
While I generally loathe press releases, I have to admit that one caught my eye on Monday morning. The e-mail release from the Republican National Committee simply said, “They Own It.”  Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Homeownership Still a Cherished Value

By Charlie Cook
Despite the housing slump, Americans of all political persuasions have a visceral desire to own their own home. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

All in the Same Boat

By Charlie Cook
Some of the same factors dragging down Democrats in the last two years are starting to take a toll on Republicans. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

For GOP in 2012, Room for One More

By Charlie Cook
Watch for Michele Bachmann or Rick Perry to try to fill a void in the GOP presidential race. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Veto Power

By Charlie Cook
Trying to make sense of the unfolding Republican presidential nomination contest is a challenge. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Why No Bounce for Obama?

By Charlie Cook
Crisis brings us together, but success is soon forgotten. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Beyond the Headlines

By Charlie Cook
This last week has seen a potpourri of interesting political developments on the presidential, senatorial, and congressional election front.  Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Without Lower Gas Prices, Obama's Bump from bin Laden May be Fleeting

By Charlie Cook
For the president, it’s still the economy. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Upon Further Reflection

By Charlie Cook
When the Osama bin Laden news dies down, people everywhere will still be faced with rough economic times. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Redistricting Waiting Game

By Charlie Cook
Uncertainty over redistricting is keeping some potential House candidates on the sidelines—for now. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

A Change in Perception

By Charlie Cook
Many Americans will long recall exactly where they were and what they were doing when the news broke that Osama bin Laden had been killed by a U.S. Navy SEAL special operations team.  Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: GOP Could Knock Off Obama in 2012

By Charlie Cook
Haley Barbour’s decision not to enter the race doesn’t change the calculus for Republicans. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Economy Presents Harsh Realities for Both Parties

By Charlie Cook
The economy is flying barely above the treetops, and it has little margin for error. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Wave Elections Might Be Washed Up for Now

By Charlie Cook
The problem with having three consecutive “wave” elections is that people tend to think that these aberrational elections are the norm.  Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Trump’s a Joke

By Charlie Cook
What does it say about the Republican Party or, for that matter, the American people that this guy gets a second glance? Legitimate Republican candidates have to wonder whether they’ll be sharing a stage in the early debate...

Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Once More, Into the Breach

By Charlie Cook
The media’s recent coverage of the potential government shutdown over the past few weeks has been genuinely overcaffeinated. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: GOP May Be Misreading its Mandate on Medicare

By Charlie Cook
Republicans are at risk of misreading their mandate. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Charlie Cook: Warning Signs Among the GOP

By Charlie Cook
Until recently, Republicans were taking solace in a number of things as they looked forward to 2012. For one, Republicans knew that the party not holding the White House rarely suffered large House and Senate losses in presidenti...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Americans Ignore World Events at their Own Peril

By Charlie Cook
Debt crises in Europe and democracy movements in the Middle East seem like faraway events, but they could have real consequences for the United States. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Libya and Wisconsin

By Charlie Cook
It’s always interesting to watch the disconnect between conversations on the Sunday morning public-affairs programs and the nightly cable-news talk shows with journalists and politicians and activists getting worked into a fren...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Obama’s Advantage

By Charlie Cook
President Obama’s in a good spot. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Don't Count Senate Dems Out

By Charlie Cook
Although it’s likely that Democrats will lose their Senate majority, it’s not preordained. Campaigns matter. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Getting a Political Life

By Charlie Cook
There are two ways people seem to be viewing the series of continuing resolutions being passed by Congress pending a final agreement on fiscal 2011 funding: The glass is either half full or half empty. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Are Indie Voters Warming to Government?

By Charlie Cook
A new poll could signal an important shift in the attitudes of independents. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Checking Out the Political Forest

By Charlie Cook
Next year will mark my 40th working in politics. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: The GOP White House Race is Wide Open

By Charlie Cook
Who will be the Republican presidential nominee? Even political professionals don’t have a clue. Read More »
CHARLIE COOK

Forecasting the Dynamics for 2012

By Charlie Cook
Even though political forecasts made 20 months before an election can be a dubious venture, making those forecasts provides benchmarks of what was thought at a given point in time, and allows us to watch the evolution of an election...

Read More »
NEED-TO-KNOW VIDEO

Video: Charlie Cook Looks Into Senate's Future

By Charlie Cook
A grim outlook for Senate Democrats, as far as the eye can see. But don't get too comfortable, Senate Republicans, because Charlie Cook has peered into your future and there's trouble ahead for you, too. Read More »

N2K: Charlie Cook Looks Into Senate's Future

A grim outlook for Senate Democrats, as far as the eye can see. But don't get too comfortable, Senate Republicans, because Charlie Cook has peered into your future and there's trouble ahead for you, too. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Sunny Economic Indicators Could Boost Obama

By Charlie Cook
President Obama may be in a good position to win reelection in 2012 if current economic forecasts hold up. Read More »
NEED-TO-KNOW VIDEO

Video: Charlie Cook Predicts Tough Road for House Dems in 2012

By Charlie Cook
With redistricting at play, Dems will have a hard time gaining more than 10 seats. Charlie Cook explains. Read More »

N2K: Cook Predicts Little Change in the House in 2012

With redistricting at play, Dems will have a hard time gaining more than 10 seats. Charlie Cook explains. Read More »
POLITICS

Charlie Cook on Video: Obama Might Be Hard to Beat in 2012

By Charlie Cook
NationalJournal.com brings you a special video feature this week. Charlie Cook's "Off to the Races" will return on March 1. What type of Republican candidate would do best against President Obama in 2012? Charlie Cook has som...

Read More »
NEED-TO-KNOW VIDEO

Video: Obama Could be Hard to Beat in 2012

By Charlie Cook
What type of Republican candidate would do best against President Obama in 2012? Charlie Cook has some ideas. Even with the right candidate -- short of another Ronald Reagan -- the incumbent Democrat could still have an edge. Watch t...

Read More »
NEED-TO-KNOW VIDEO

N2K: Obama Could be Hard to Beat in 2012

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Cook Report: Brace Yourselves for Budget Battle

By Charlie Cook
The Democratic base wasn’t feeling the love on Valentine’s Day when it saw President Obama’s budget. Read More »
NEED-TO-KNOW VIDEO

The Trouble with Funding a Presidential Bid

The Republican presidential field might be wide open -- but candidates have some serious challenges to overcome if they will raise the money required to wage a campaign for the White House. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Let the Big Dollars Roll

By Charlie Cook
Many people asked me over the last week whether I would be going to the annual CPAC convocation taking place at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington. I explained that while I have covered the event in the past, I stopped ma...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Incumbents, Beware: Redistricting Looms

By Charlie Cook
Redistricting could hurt incumbents.  Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Indications for 2012

By Charlie Cook
Release of last’s week’s unemployment figures created a field day for spin-meisters.  Democratic press secretaries could point to the 9.0 percent unemployment rate as the best since April 2009 and as the second consecutive ...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Beware the Swan: The Unexpected Can Be Expected

By Charlie Cook
The events that have transpired recently in Egypt and other countries in the Middle East should remind all of us about the danger of pretending that we know how the 2012 presidential election will unfold. We can study polls, hist...

Read More »
POLITICS

'The Whole World Is Watching,' Daley Warns Egyptian Authorities About Reprisals

By Charlie Cook
White House Chief of Staff William Daley borrows a slogan once used against his father to warn Egyptian authorities against getting violent with demonstrators. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

The New Normal

By Charlie Cook
Just like generals are said to fight the last war, politicians and campaign operatives have a tendency to wage the previous campaign, making the assumption that the dynamics that prevailed during the most recent election will be rep...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Open Season in the Senate

By Charlie Cook
Open seats could determine Senate control. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Speech and Debate

By Charlie Cook
Tonight, as Congress gathers for the State of the Union address, many members have pledged to sit with colleagues from the other party, eschewing the tradition of Democrats sitting to the president’s right and Republicans to his left. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Right Direction

By Charlie Cook
President Obama’s move to the center is paying off. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Hold the Hysterics

By Charlie Cook
This week, the newly minted Republican House majority is expected to vote to repeal the health care law President Obama and Democrats pushed through in March. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

GOP Leaders’ Reaction to the Rampage Is Making Dems’ Job Harder

By Charlie Cook
John Boehner’s actions post-Tucson have been pitch-perfect. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

The Vitriol Will Likely Return

By Charlie Cook
With any disturbing event, like the tragic and horrifying shooting in Tucson last Saturday, there is a natural tendency to extrapolate the impact of it for months or even years to come. The unspeakable event cost people from such va...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Beyond Repeal

By Charlie Cook
Republicans owe it to their supporters to go after health care reform. But they had better not stop there. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

7 Senate Democrats, 20 House Republicans Will Face Tough Races in 2012

By Charlie Cook
The 2012 House and Senate outlook. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

The Stages of Political Grief

By Charlie Cook
Here’s a theory: House Democrats know their chances of recapturing the majority they just lost in two years aren’t good and have decided, “What the hell.” Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Independents Have Their Day With Tax Compromise

By Charlie Cook
Independents will like the tax-cut deal. It’s a sign that gridlock can be broken. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

First, Admit You Have a Problem

By Charlie Cook
Many Democrats seem to take solace in the idea that stubbornly high unemployment and the terrible economy are to blame for their midterm election losses. They are unwilling to acknowledge that there were some more fundamental factor...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Pay-Freeze Politics

By Charlie Cook
Will President Obama’s plan to curb federal wages be followed by other initiatives aimed at independents? Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Keys for 2012

By Charlie Cook
As he begins to think about his own reelection hopes, President Obama ought to be praying every night for three things to happen.   Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Wrong Feels Right

By Charlie Cook
Sometimes it’s nice to be wrong. When Sen. Lisa Murkowski , R-Alaska, lost the Republican Senate primary to Joe Miller in August, I thought she would have little chance of winning a general election contest as a write-in. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Both Parties Could Learn Some Lessons from Harry Reid's Reelection Campaign

By Charlie Cook
Harry Reid’s campaign is worth studying. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Do the Right Thing

By Charlie Cook
The following is an address that you should hear from the Oval Office, but don’t hold your breath. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Party Committees: No Losers Here

By Charlie Cook
How party operatives performed. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

2010's Surprise Developments

By Charlie Cook
Whenever I’m asked what the biggest surprise was for me in this election, I confess that there were several, but not many occurred on election night. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Why? Why? Why?

By Charlie Cook
This election was an odd mix. On the House side, it was a nationalized, parliamentary election where the party affiliation of candidates was all-important. In the Senate and gubernatorial races, where Republican gains were not of th...

Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

A National Election

By Charlie Cook
In a matter of hours, the votes -- at least most of them -- will be counted, and we will know what happened. Some candidates will be rejoicing in the results but soon will be bracing themselves for the responsibility of governing; o...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

High Anxiety for Incumbents in 2012

By Charlie Cook
Those up for election next time should be worried about the political implications of this nasty downturn lasting so long. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

In The Senate, The Die Is Not Cast

By Charlie Cook
 One week out and there is a distinctly bifurcated look to this 2010 midterm election. On the House side, the Republican wave still looks large and powerful while in the Senate, the situation appears much cloudier and more unce...

Read More »
OUTLOOK

Charlie Cook: Dems' Senate Chances Hard to Predict

By Charlie Cook
The Senate picture is incredibly confused. There is no clear narrative in the Senate, just bizarre ups and downs. Republicans could easily find themselves picking up as “few” as seven or as many as 10 seats. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

It’s Inevitable

By Charlie Cook
Republicans seem certain to win the House. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

The Third Wave In A Row

By Charlie Cook
What would a GOP wave this year mean for senators like Lieberman and Nelson in 2012? Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

House Flips. Senate Doesn't.

By Charlie Cook
The odds are that Republicans will pick up about 52 House seats and seven or eight Senate seats. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Triage Time for Democrats

By Charlie Cook
In a perverse way, the job has gotten simpler for Democrats. Rather than having to try to do two very different things, they can focus on just one. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Triage Time For Democrats

By Charlie Cook
In a perverse way, the job has gotten simpler for Democrats. Rather than having to try to do two very different things, they can focus on just one. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Dems Batten Down The Hatches

By Charlie Cook
This year could be every bit as bad for Democrats as 1994, and quite possibly worse. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

A Squandered September For Democrats

By Charlie Cook
A little over nine months ago I was sitting down with a prominent Democratic pollster, talking about all that had transpired over 2009 and looking ahead to the midterm election. The experienced campaign strategist was very pessimistic. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Are Democrats Waking Up?

By Charlie Cook
A new poll suggests that Democrats may turn out in higher numbers than expected. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

The Wave Keeps Coming

By Charlie Cook
For quite a while, Democrats have waited and desperately hoped that the trajectory of this election campaign would change. They are still waiting and hoping. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

The GOP Wave Keeps Coming

By Charlie Cook
For quite a while, Democrats have waited and desperately hoped that the trajectory of this election campaign would change. They are still waiting and hoping. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

After The Deluge Of 2010

By Charlie Cook
After the election, civil war could break out between the old and the new Republican Party. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

For 'Walmart Moms,' Nothing Abstract About Financial Pain

By Charlie Cook
From time to time, someone comes up with a catchy term for some subgroup of swing voters. President Nixon targeted the Silent Majority. Later there were Reagan Democrats. More recently, Soccer Moms became a household term. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

When Winning Is Losing

By Charlie Cook
Thanks to Delaware, the Republicans' chances of winning the Senate have plummeted. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Can Republicans Run Out The Clock?

By Charlie Cook
Election Day is technically just under 50 days away, though in many states early voting begins soon. That's important, not just because so many voters are choosing to vote early but also because once ballots are cast, they are froze...

Read More »
COOK REPORT

Triage Time For Democrats

By Charlie Cook
One can already see the Democratic circular firing squad beginning to form. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

House Dems Pushed To The Tipping Point

By Charlie Cook
As early as the summer of 2009 there were growing warning signs that Democrats might face a tough midterm election this year. President Obama 's job approval rating among the key bloc of independent voters, which was in the 60s bef...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Senate's In Play

By Charlie Cook
The odds still favor Democrats holding their majority in the Senate, but they're not as good as they once were. Republicans could end up winning most of the races now rated as toss-ups. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

No Help On The Horizon For Dems

By Charlie Cook
Labor Day is almost here and Democrats are still waiting for the cavalry to arrive. An exhaustive scan of the horizon reveals no rescuers and none of the things Democrats badly need to save them from tough midterm election losses on...

Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Obama Gives Democrats Another Headache

By Charlie Cook
Just over a year ago, a Democratic congressional leadership staffer who had sat in on a number of closed-door meetings between President Obama and Democratic members of Congress told me something to the effect of, "I know this isn...

Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

The Unrelenting Economy

By Charlie Cook
One of the fascinating things about wave elections is that the party in power often has raised significantly more money nationally, district by district and state by state; it may have invested in strong field organization efforts; ...

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THE COOK REPORT

Less Is More For Indie Voters

By Charlie Cook
Many Americans seem to be changing their minds about the appropriate role of government. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

No Rebound After All For Dems

By Charlie Cook
It appears that the signs of a possible Democratic rebound were just a false alarm. After almost a year of unrelentingly bad poll numbers, back-to-back weeks of Gallup Polls showing Democrats with eyebrow-raising leads might have ju...

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THE COOK REPORT

A Turning Point For Democrats?

By Charlie Cook
It's too early to say for sure, but it's possible that the Republican wave has subsided. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

House Democrats Offer Plausible Scenario

By Charlie Cook
Democratic strategists see a path to retaining their House majority. Read More »
COOK REPORT

Adding Up The Democratic Math

By Charlie Cook
A look at the case made by top Democratic strategists that they'll keep their House majority. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Republicans' Senate Hopes Still Slim

By Charlie Cook
With the conventional wisdom saying that Democrats' House majority is in grave danger -- in my mind, more likely than not to fall -- many have started suggesting that Republicans may capture control of the Senate. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

A Glimmer Of Hope For Democrats

By Charlie Cook
A new poll suggests how House Democrats can keep their losses down in November. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

What Do Tea Partiers Want?

By Charlie Cook
Ten years ago, there was a dumb romantic comedy starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt called "What Women Want." Not that the question isn't an age-old concern for men, but it was a silly movie. Read More »
COOK REPORT

Democrats' Biggest Challenge

By Charlie Cook
Democratic fortunes this November are inextricably linked to the economy. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Hurricane GOP On The Way

By Charlie Cook
New polling shows that people who voted for John McCain for president in 2008 are more interested in this election than that one. The reverse is true for Barack Obama's supporters. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

With Economy Still Weak, Big Issues To Dominate Midterms

By Charlie Cook
With the Supreme Court's decision Monday to restrict state and local government from tougher gun control laws, some observers assumed that it would become a major issue and have a meaningful impact come November. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Driving Into The Ditch

By Charlie Cook
Fewer and fewer lawmakers remain in the middle of the road, where consensus forms. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

What Not To Do

By Charlie Cook
For months, I had been suggesting to my Republican friends that their party was facing good news and bad news. The bad news was that voters don't like Republicans these days and feel as though they have learned few, if any, lessons ...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Democrats' Wild Ride

By Charlie Cook
Political analysts differ on whether Democrats will lose their majority in the House. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Democratic Pressure Points

By Charlie Cook
Most of the attention today will, understandably, be focused on the primary elections that are being held in a dozen states. With several marquee races, notably the Democratic Senate primary runoff in Arkansas and the gubernatorial ...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Korean Clashes

By Charlie Cook
Young South Koreans are more focused on economic advancement than on nationalism. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Coming Up Short

By Charlie Cook
Barack Obama is not projecting the same image of competence that he displayed in 2008. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Special Delivery

By Charlie Cook
As the first independent analyst to push the argument that Democrats would likely suffer significantly higher midterm losses than average for the party in power, I'm scratching my head over the 8-point Democratic margin of victory i...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Soul-Searching Time For GOP

By Charlie Cook
Election results are never quite as tidy as some analysts suggest. Voters almost always send mixed messages. And they stayed true to form on Tuesday. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Reading The Elections

By Charlie Cook
To be sure, the general storyline in today's primary elections in Arkansas, Kentucky and Pennsylvania will be one of establishment/incumbent vs. challenger/insurgent. But the one race that might tell us the most about what to expect...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Incumbents Face Twin Furies

By Charlie Cook
The 2010 electorate is angrier than any in recent memory. Just ask Robert Bennett. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

The Conservative Revolt

By Charlie Cook
While the biggest political story this year has been the Democratic Party's fight to retain its majorities in Congress, a fascinating back-story is developing: the very conservative, populist revolt taking place within the Republica...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Anti-Everything Mood

By Charlie Cook
Much of the anger at Washington is the result of the Troubled Asset Relief Program. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

The Dominant Narrative

By Charlie Cook
Regular readers of this column know that for over seven months, I have argued that because midterm elections are referenda on the party in power, Democrats have big problems going into 2010. The American people continue to be exceed...

Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Focus On Short Term Dominates

By Charlie Cook
To use some football analogies, we've seen some questionable play-calling and weak ball-handling on both sides in recent weeks, signs of an uneven and poor playing surface. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Democratic Buckaroos Trying To Hold On

By Charlie Cook
A new report depicts an American electorate that is angry and suspicious, fearful and vengeful. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Home Of The Whopper

By Charlie Cook
The late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan , D-N.Y., once said that "everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but they are not entitled to their own facts." Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Republicans' Southern Comforts

By Charlie Cook
NEW ORLEANS -- Last weekend's Southern Republican Leadership Conference presented a pair of contrasts. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Of Swans And Spoilers

By Charlie Cook
Republicans would have to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory to avoid big gains in the fall. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

GOP Needs To Keep It Simple

By Charlie Cook
All of a sudden, it's the Republicans who risk being seen as the ones dwelling obsessively on health care. If they don't play their cards right, they could turn off independents. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Reflex Responses On Health Bill

By Charlie Cook
Polling suggests that independents are evenly split over the health care reform law. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

What Will Matter In November?

By Charlie Cook
Nearly everyone has a theory about how House passage of President Obama 's health care reform package will affect the 2010 midterm elections. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Democrats' Double Trouble

By Charlie Cook
When Democrats make the case for their fortunes rebounding in time for the November midterm elections, almost invariably their hopes are built around a rather significant improvement in the unemployment situation or the passage of m...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

A Shrunken Edge For Dems

By Charlie Cook
Two recent polls suggest that Democrats will be in for a rough ride in November. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Is It Tea Time Everywhere?

By Charlie Cook
When you have a theory about something, a useful exercise to conduct is to ask yourself, "If I am wrong, why am I wrong?" If you're intellectually honest, there's nobody better to poke holes in your theory than yourself. Presumably,...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Early Looks At GOP 2012 Contenders

By Charlie Cook
The quest for the GOP presidential nomination will begin in earnest next month in New Orleans. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Ready, Aim, Fire, Repeat

By Charlie Cook
Relax, Democrats, this isn't just another Charlie-predicts-the-apocalypse-for-Democrats-again column. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

What Can Save The Dems?

By Charlie Cook
Will passing health care reform or a drop in the unemployment rate do much to help Democrats avoid big losses in the House and Senate in November? It's hard to see how. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Letting Go

By Charlie Cook
Dick Morris should be watching his mailbox, because his royalty checks should start arriving any day now. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Spinning Our Wheels

By Charlie Cook
Indiana's Evan Bayh wasn't afraid of losing his seat in the Senate; he was afraid of winning and having to serve six more years in what has become a dysfunctional institution. Read More »
COOK REPORT

Is The GOP Ready To Govern Again?

By Charlie Cook
Republicans need to convince voters that they deserve to be entrusted with power once again. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Damage Control For Democrats

By Charlie Cook
Democrats should do three things to improve their chances in November. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Too Much All At Once

By Charlie Cook
Obviously, a great deal has happened over the last year to affect the political situation for President Obama and congressional Democrats. Serious mistakes and miscalculations by Democrats on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue creat...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Presidential Sins

By Charlie Cook
President Obama has committed three big sins. And Democrats in Congress have been enablers. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Midterm Momentum Is All GOP's

By Charlie Cook
Whenever someone asks if the 2010 midterm elections will be "another 1994" it makes me roll my eyes. No two election years are alike -- the causes, circumstances and dynamics are always different to anyone who takes more than a casu...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Colossal Miscalculation On Health Care

By Charlie Cook
Judging by where they stand today, Democrats made a colossal miscalculation by focusing more on health care reform and climate change than on the economy and jobs. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Winter Has Been Extra Cold For Democrats

By Charlie Cook
The terms "gruesome" and "psychologically devastating" come to mind when thinking about the political developments over the last six weeks for Democrats. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Dems Troubled But Holding On

By Charlie Cook
Republicans could win every competitive House race and still fall one seat short of control. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

How Deep Is The Water For Democrats?

By Charlie Cook
Monday morning's announcement by Rep. Bart Gordon , D-Tenn., that he would not seek re-election certainly stirred things up on Capitol Hill. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Retirements Key To Holding House

By Charlie Cook
Republicans hope the back-to-back retirement announcements of Reps. Dennis Moore , D-Kan., and John Tanner , D-Tenn., will set off an avalanche that could make a takeover of the House more likely. While two does not a trend make, ...

Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Another Test For Obama

By Charlie Cook
It is trite to say that any given week is of critical importance for the president of the United States. In that job, every week either is or has the potential to be pretty critical. However, in terms of defining the trajectory for ...

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THE COOK REPORT

Time To Clean House

By Charlie Cook
Dealing with ethics problems will be a tough task for House Democrats in 2010. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

GOP Can't Rest Easy

By Charlie Cook
For better or worse, politics, like life, is rarely simple or one-dimensional. Generally, there are competing dynamics, ones that most would agree are relatively important, and others whose importance is highly debatable. Certainly,...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Pelosi, Emanuel Tough As Nails

By Charlie Cook
House Democratic leaders understand that their majority is fragile. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Don't Blame Deeds

By Charlie Cook
Denial is not a river; it is a state of mind. It's inhabited by Democrats and liberal-leaning journalists who blame Virginia state Sen. Creigh Deeds for Democrats' loss of the governorship, all statewide offices, and a five-seat n...

Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Final Assumptions

By Charlie Cook
Many years ago, one of the great Republican campaign consultants of the day, Eddie Mahe , wrote a fascinating, periodic memo, "Assumptions," where he laid out what might be expected in politics, domestic policy, economics and anyth...

Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

What To Study For Next Year's Midterms

By Charlie Cook
There are a number of conflicting dynamics and questions that are quite important to understanding next year's critical midterm elections. Read More »
POLITICS

Intensity Matters

By Charlie Cook
Democrats would have to set up machine-gun nests to keep Obama's foes from voting in 2010. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

How Dems Can Cut Their Losses

By Charlie Cook
This column has focused, some would say dwelled, for several months on problems congressional Democrats face as the 2010 midterm elections approach. Read More »
POLITICS

U-6: The Jobs Nightmare

By Charlie Cook
The prospect of the jobless rate hovering around 10 percent should keep Democrats on edge. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Are The Democrats Ready For 10 Percent Unemployment?

By Charlie Cook
Obviously, there are many variables that can drive a political party's fortune in next November's elections, but the economy and jobs dwarf all others. Polls may show a majority of Americans understand that this recession started un...

Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Democrats Could Be At High-Water Mark

By Charlie Cook
One of Vice President Joe Biden 's long-standing and endearing qualities is his gift of hyperbole. The Washington Post recently quoted Biden as saying at a Democratic fundraiser that, of the 54 House seats Democrats have flippe...

Read More »
POLITICS

The Lost Middle Ground

By Charlie Cook
Redistricting reform could reduce the partisanship in Congress. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Straw Poll Boosts Huckabee

By Charlie Cook
While we wait for developments in the health care fight, it's fun to have other political news to distract us. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Dems Should Focus On The Color Purple

By Charlie Cook
The electorate is growing just as disgusted with the current Democratic majority in Congress as it was with the Republican majority in 2006--before it toppled the GOP from power. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

How High Will GOP Tide Rise?

By Charlie Cook
As the political environment for Democrats has turned ugly, it is widely assumed the party will sustain losses in next year's midterm elections. The operative question is: How bad will those losses be? Read More »
POLITICS

Three-Part Disharmony

By Charlie Cook
Democratic officials are split into three camps: Loyal Obamaites, Purists, and Skeptics. Read More »
POLITICS

Bleeding Independents

By Charlie Cook
Democrats should be terrified by the political trends heading into the midterm elections. Read More »
POLITICS

Dems In Danger

By Charlie Cook
There isn't a lot of complacency in the Democratic Party these days. Democratic officeholders hardly need the robot from the 1960s television show Lost in Space to tell them, "Danger, Will Robinson, danger!" The signs are all over...

Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Town Halls In Danger

By Charlie Cook
As lamentable as the techniques used by demonstrators in recent days are, the shouting down of various members of Congress at town hall meetings may turn out to have the desired effect. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Summer's Storylines

By Charlie Cook
In today's world, there is a natural tendency for storylines to develop. While some developments that support the storyline get great weight, others, to the extent they don't get too frequent or important, get discarded. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Health Care Reform Needs A Breather

By Charlie Cook
Divisions over health care among congressional Democrats became even more apparent this past week, underscoring the importance for President Obama and Democratic leaders to hit the reset button and start anew after Labor Day. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Obama Should Listen To GOP Message

By Charlie Cook
Taking the time to fix the problems in the health care and climate-change bills while waiting for some economic improvement might not be the worst thing for Democrats to do. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Democrats Must Settle For Half A Loaf

By Charlie Cook
Whether or not you agree with the substance of President Obama 's and congressional Democrats' health care reform and climate change packages, it's hard to deny their ambition or intentions. They are trying to address enormous, con...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The Big Mo Slows

By Charlie Cook
Democratic momentum is slowing but not yet reversing. Is an inflection point near? Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Fate Of Priorities Could Have Obama Sweating

By Charlie Cook
It's a shame that with the thousands of statistics released every week from Washington, there aren't any called "CPBP" or "CPHR," short for "Collective Partisan Blood Pressure" and "Collective Partisan Heart Rate." Read More »
POLITICS

Time To Prime The Pump Again?

By Charlie Cook
The president should hold off on deciding on another stimulus package until Labor Day. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Palin's Move Is Unorthodox, Not Crazy

By Charlie Cook
The political community's reaction to Alaska Republican Gov. Sarah Palin 's announcement that she would resign on July 26 was swift, withering and very nearly unanimous. It's hard to dispute that Palin handled the announcement badl...

Read More »
POLITICS

Vulnerable Members Roll Dice On Climate Bill

By Charlie Cook
The House vote on the climate-change bill suggests that it will have difficulty passing the Senate. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Climate Debate Moves To Senate -- And Voters

By Charlie Cook
Winning major policy debates often comes down to which side better defines or frames the issue. With the House's razor-thin passage of the climate change bill Friday night, the fight now becomes which side will succeed in winning pu...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Americans Like Obama, But They're Doing The Math

By Charlie Cook
Most people generally subscribe to the president's goals but are troubled by the specifics and the costs of achieving them. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Obama Putting His Approval Numbers To Work

By Charlie Cook
A recurring theme in last week's political news, particularly on cable, was that President Obama 's job ratings had dipped. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Dems Gets Down To Brass Tacks On Health Care

By Charlie Cook
This week President Obama and his Democratic allies on Capitol Hill begin to get down to the short strokes, unveiling details that will transform the concept of health care reform into a specific proposal. Simultaneously, the admi...

Read More »
POLITICS

Obama's Team To Rival

By Charlie Cook
Barack Obama has put together a White House operation as impressive as any before it. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

GOP, Dems Do Some Advanced Calculus

By Charlie Cook
With Congress in the most critical legislative period of this session -- getting down to the short straws on health care reform and a cap-and-trade climate change bill -- President Obama 's standing with voters looms large. Read More »
POLITICS

A Split Decision In 2010 Races?

By Charlie Cook
Democrats could lose a dozen or so seats in the House and pick up a seat or two in the Senate. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Enough With The Selective Outrage

By Charlie Cook
Someone recently asked me what, after all these years around politics -- 25 years of covering politics, 37 years involved in one way or another -- I liked best and what bothered me the most. Read More »
POLITICS

The Supreme Court Kabuki Dance

By Charlie Cook
The battle over Sonia Sotomayor is no more than a ritualistic dance, a rehearsal for the all-out brawl we can expect if a conservative retires while Obama is president. Read More »
POLITICS

A Bit Of Advice, Madam Speaker

By Charlie Cook
Nancy Pelosi is like the student who gets A's in some subjects but D's' and F's in others. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

The Issue Democrats Should Have Avoided

By Charlie Cook
Two of the most commonly made mistakes must surely be "not leaving well enough alone" and "pushing too far." Sometimes, in partisan or ideological fervor, people just can't help themselves. Read More »
POLITICS

Obama Ratings Leveling Off At 35,000 Feet

By Charlie Cook
Optimism about the economy could explain why President Obama's approval ratings are up. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Sometimes Silence Is Golden

By Charlie Cook
The other day, a Republican campaign operative whose experience dates back to George H.W. Bush 's White House political office was lamenting all the hand-wringing and teeth gnashing over the future of the Republican Party. To this ...

Read More »
POLITICS

Party Of One

By Charlie Cook
Be careful about overestimating the impact of Arlen Specter's defection to the blue team. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

GOP Rebound Requires Outreach

By Charlie Cook
While all the focus last week centered on the passing of President Obama 's first 100 days in office, this week marks six months since the 2008 election. So half a year past a second-consecutive devastating election for Republicans...

Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Slow Start To Midterm Races

By Charlie Cook
Congress might be coming back this week for a five-week legislative haul before the Memorial Day recess, but the political calendar works at a somewhat different pace. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Watch The Independents

By Charlie Cook
It's hard to write a column about politics these days without coming back to the issue of partisanship. It must be one of the most recurrent themes, if not the most, in American politics today. Last week, the House and Senate passed...

Read More »
POLITICS

Just Round One

By Charlie Cook
It's tempting to over-interpret the results of special elections, like the one this week in New York. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

The Special Meaning Of A Special Election

By Charlie Cook
With today's special election in New York's 20th District, expect boasting by the victorious party that it is the most important victory in years and a foreshadowing of next year's midterm elections. Some might get really carried aw...

Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

New President Meets New Media

By Charlie Cook
It was hard to hear both second-guessing and criticism of President Obama 's decision to go on ESPN to discuss his picks for the NCAA men's basketball tournament and to appear on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno." Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Are Independents Hedging Their Bets?

By Charlie Cook
It's a bad sign for Democrats if Republicans have pulled even among independent voters. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Traffic On The Road To Recovery

By Charlie Cook
Here are two good, but somewhat contradictory questions for consideration at the tables in the Longworth Cafeteria. Read More »
POLITICS

The Answer To Everything

By Charlie Cook
Can Democrats hang on to their current levels in the House and Senate? Depends on the economy. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Obama's Friction Points

By Charlie Cook
Despite President Obama 's historic election, the hoopla around his victory obscures significant elements of his election and message. When Obama first began running for president, many observers reasonably questioned his experienc...

Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

How Limbaugh Helps The GOP

By Charlie Cook
It isn't hard to understand why so many Democrats, liberals and even some independents and moderates get up in arms over Rush Limbaugh 's incendiary comments, the most recent being his remarks that he hoped President Obama would fail. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

A Nod To The Right Sways The Center

By Charlie Cook
Monday's report by the Gallup Organization regarding how the public perceives President Obama 's performance after one month in office says much about the state of American politics. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Obama's Triangulation Squares With Public

By Charlie Cook
Gallup Organization polling released Monday reveals a rather telling report card on how the public perceives the performance of key players in dealing with the economic stimulus package. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

For Obama And GOP, Questions Of Perception

By Charlie Cook
Here are two questions to ponder over the table in the Rayburn Cafeteria. The first is whether, over the next couple of months, President Obama 's job approval numbers are tethered to successes and failures, or are they more concep...

Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Returns And Reviews

By Charlie Cook
Most political aficionados have moved on from analyzing, celebrating or bemoaning the 2008 presidential election. They have shifted their focus to how President Obama and his Democratic House and Senate majorities are performing a...

Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Look To Obama

By Charlie Cook
My 22-year-old daughter Becky reminded me last year of a conversation we apparently had seven or eight years ago, in which she asked my wife Lucy and I whether we thought a woman or a black would be elected president first. Read More »
POLITICS

Self-Destructive Conservatism

By Charlie Cook
At a time when Republicans should be starting to think about how they can expand their party to reclaim those who abandoned it, the party is instead lurching ever more to the right, exacerbating its problems. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Richardson, Panetta Picks Bring Out The Drama

By Charlie Cook
The USS Obama has endured a pair of hits in recent days, but so far it's not taking on water. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

How Will Dems Govern On Their Honeymoon?

By Charlie Cook
It would be hard to argue with the premise that Congress has become a largely dysfunctional institution, plagued by partisan rancor. Read More »
POLITICS

Senate's Power Rests With Centrists

By Charlie Cook
All this talk of Democrats needing 60 Senate seats fails to capture the party's true situation. What votes the Democrats will need in the Senate will depend on the exact issue, bill, language, and circumstances. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Wild And Woolly Finish

By Charlie Cook
It seems entirely appropriate that this tumultuous and unpredictable election year would start coming to a close with the kind of events we have seen in Georgia, Louisiana, Minnesota and Ohio in recent days. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

How To Right The GOP

By Charlie Cook
The single most important factor that determines where American politics will go over the next two years is how President-elect Barack Obama fares in office. If he makes more than a few strategic or tactical miscues, his honeymoon...

Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

The GOP's Palin Question

By Charlie Cook
Maybe there's just something about Sarah. Among the broad American electorate, Alaskan governor and recent Republican nominee for vice president Sarah Palin certainly seems to be damaged merchandise. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Obama's Steady Hand

By Charlie Cook
It has often and quite appropriately been said that campaign skills do not necessarily translate into governing skills, but it is also true that the personal traits one demonstrates day in and day out are enduring. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Learn Or Languish

By Charlie Cook
What lessons will Republicans and Democrats take away from Barack Obama's victory? Read More »
ELECTION 2008: THE COOK REPORT

Obama's Short Coattails

By Charlie Cook
As it turned out, the president-elect's coattails in congressional and state legislative races weren't as long as some Democrats had hoped. It may take a while to figure out why. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Obama Heads For The Goal Line

By Charlie Cook
An Obama administration could be very different from past Democratic administrations. Read More »
ON THE TRAIL

GOP's Horror Sequel Is Almost A Wrap

By Charlie Cook
Late Monday afternoon I was standing in front of 200 or so congressional staff members when someone in the front row handed me a Blackberry with the news bulletin announcing Sen. Ted Stevens ' seven-count felony conviction. As I re...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Obama Swinging For The Fences

By Charlie Cook
Republicans look likely to lose at least seven Senate seats and 20 House seats. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

In Endgame, Metrics Are Adding Up For Obama

By Charlie Cook
One of the most unsettling aspects of this campaign is that for an election cycle so turbulent, with so many surprising twists and turns, over the last few days it suddenly has had the feel of concrete setting. Just seven or eight w...

Read More »
POLITICS

Back-To-Back GOP Train Wrecks

By Charlie Cook
Voters see greater risk in no change than in change that they're not sure about. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

For Republicans, A Grim November Beckons

By Charlie Cook
The slogan on the Morton Salt boxes is, "when it rains, it pours." For Republicans, the past few years must seem like monsoon season. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Going Obama's Way

By Charlie Cook
If voters stay focused on the economy, the election could get out of John McCain's reach. If the focus switches back to national security in the next week or so, he could still come back. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Time Running Short For Republicans

By Charlie Cook
If we have learned anything from this election cycle, it should be how volatile and unpredictable campaigns can be. This cycle, nothing has remained static for long; it's an election in which the rule book seems to have been chucked...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

A Tie Goes To The House

By Charlie Cook
What would happen in the House if the Electoral College vote ended in a tie? Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

A Big Week As Three-Ring Circus

By Charlie Cook
This week is nothing less than a three-ring political circus, what with digesting the implications of last week's presidential debate, Monday's House rejection of the financial rescue plan and the vice presidential debate Thursday n...

Read More »
POLITICS

GOP's Senate Stock Falls

By Charlie Cook
The outlook for Republicans in Senate races has deteriorated in recent weeks. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Paulson And Congress Assume Crisis Position

By Charlie Cook
It's for someone else to say for sure that our economic and credit crisis is the greatest since the Great Depression. Some of our nation's best-known and longest-standing financial institutions will soon be gone or permanently alter...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

McCain Stalls As Economy Falls

By Charlie Cook
Recent developments on Wall Street will make it harder for John McCain to win in November. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Are We Due For Another Momentum Shift?

By Charlie Cook
It has been almost two weeks since the conclusion of the Republican National Convention. It's now clear that while Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois got a bounce out of the Democratic gathering in Denver, Sen. John McCain of Ari...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

A Shot Of Excitement From Palin

By Charlie Cook
Sarah Palin appears to be an asset to Republicans, but it's unlikely she'll be a savior. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

With Two Months Left, Time To Reassess

By Charlie Cook
What do we know and what do we not know? Read More »
COOK REPORT

McCain's Goal: Change Democrats Can Believe In

By Charlie Cook
As John McCain prepares to accept his party's presidential nomination tonight, Democrat Barack Obama is 5 to 8 percentage points ahead in the latest polls, making the Republican an underdog but hardly a long shot. This lead ...

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COOK REPORT

Stranger Than Fiction -- And Stranger All The Time

By Charlie Cook
Is it just me, or is this the most bizarre presidential campaign in modern American history? Read More »
COOK REPORT

McCain's Risky Dice Roll With Palin

By Charlie Cook
Most everyone agrees that John McCain 's selection of Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate could be a "game-changer." But they disagree over which way it might change the game. We don't know how Palin will perform over ...

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McCain's Palin Gamble

By Charlie Cook
The first objective in selecting a vice presidential running mate, it's often been said, is to follow the Hippocratic Oath, which has been paraphrased as, "First, do no harm." Consider John McCain 's choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Pa...

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POLITICS

When Trying Too Much Means Doing Too Little

By Charlie Cook
An array of problems gnawing away at the United States will demand attention from the next president. Read More »

GOP Needs VP Pick Who Changes Game

By Charlie Cook
You can always count on James Carville for a good line. The conventional wisdom among Republican strategists and activists has been that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney would be Sen. John McCain 's choice for his running ...

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Latinos May Need More Convincing From Obama

By Charlie Cook
Polls are showing the presidential general election race tightening. The Gallup nightly tracking poll released on Tuesday afternoon had Republican Sen. John McCain edging 2 points ahead of Democratic Sen. Barack Obama . Most of...

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COOK REPORT

With Die-Hard Following, Hillary Must Lead

By Charlie Cook
Having grown up in the South in the 1960s, I vividly remember that during the Civil War's centennial years a few diehard Confederate sympathizers just refused to get over the fact that the war was long past and it was time to move on. Read More »

Obama May Have Had Georgia on His Mind

By Charlie Cook
A certain anxiety is palpable among Democrats gathered this week in Denver for their national convention. Clearly, overconfidence had built over the first half of the summer, leading some party members to see Barack Obama 's electi...

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POLITICS

Biden Pick Shows Obama Means Business

By Charlie Cook
It's always been amazing to me how closely many people around the world watch our presidential elections, but this year tops them all. Having just arrived in Denver from Beijing and Hong Kong for the Democratic National Convention, ...

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POLITICS

All Obama, All the Time

By Charlie Cook
The results of the presidential election will hinge on voters' perceptions of Barack Obama. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Bounce Or Breach

By Charlie Cook
It's too early to say with certainty, but the Gallup daily tracking polls are suggesting that Sen. Barack Obama , D-Ill., benefited from his nine-day trip to Afghanistan, the Middle East and Europe as much as sympathetic pundits su...

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POLITICS

Eye of the Storm

By Charlie Cook
Many voters are taking a time-out from the presidential race. But they'll be back. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Comfort Zone

By Charlie Cook
The dog days of summer are doubling as an intermission in the presidential contest. Read More »
POLITICS

GOP Is Losing Ground

By Charlie Cook
Democrats are poised to pick up five to seven Senate seats in November. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Right Choice

By Charlie Cook
One of my least favorite parlor games being played these days is trying to guess who Sens. John McCain , R-Ariz., and Barack Obama , D-Ill., will select to be their presidential running mates. Read More »
POLITICS

Missing Pieces

By Charlie Cook
John McCain's campaign seems little more than a candidate, an airplane, and a small staff. Read More »
POLITICS

Obama's Odds

By Charlie Cook
Barack Obama should be beating the daylights out of John McCain in general election trial heats. The fact that he isn't suggests that another very close election is in the offing. Read More »
POLITICS

Ready or Not?

By Charlie Cook
Barack Obama could win big in November if voters conclude he's ready for the presidency. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Public And Private

By Charlie Cook
One of this week's big political debates surrounds the decision of Sen. Barack Obama , D-Ill., to eschew public financing, a decision that many critics say constitutes him breaking a campaign promise and exposes him to allegations ...

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POLITICS

Lagging Behind His Party

By Charlie Cook
White Baby Boomers could be the key to the outcome of the presidential election. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Model Work

By Charlie Cook
There is a danger in writing three days later about Tim Russert's tragically premature passing on Friday. To quote the cliche that "everything has been said, but not everyone has said it" seems appropriate. Read More »
POLITICS

The Democrat's Bounce

By Charlie Cook
Barack Obama's critics may be wrong about whether Democrats will line up behind him. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

A New Mousetrap

By Charlie Cook
The term "50-state strategy" is getting tossed around pretty liberally these days, particularly by the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama , D-Ill. Read More »
POLITICS

Singing the Down-Ballot Blues

By Charlie Cook
Republican congressional candidates should move closer to John McCain. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Exit Strategy

By Charlie Cook
As her odds of getting the Democratic presidential nomination got longer and longer over the past few months, there have been increasing calls for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton , D-N.Y., to drop her bid for the sake of the party. Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

Gearing Up

By Charlie Cook
Which states do Democrats need to carry in order to win the presidency? Read More »
POLITICS

A Punishing Mood

By Charlie Cook
Chances are rising that November 4 will be terrific for Capitol Hill Democrats. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Number Soup

By Charlie Cook
Whether you look at the averages of all the major national polls on realclearpolitics.com or pollster.com's trend estimates based on most recent polling, presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain of Arizona very narrowly tra...

Read More »
POLITICS

Hard Knocks

By Charlie Cook
Watch for Hillary and Bill Clinton to work their tails off for Barack Obama. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Generally Speaking

By Charlie Cook
The 2008 Democratic presidential nomination contest is finally winding down, with Sen. Barack Obama , D-Ill., clearly in a position to win more pledged delegates and superdelegates, as well as the popular vote, than Sen. Hillary R...

Read More »
POLITICS

Upset Republicans

By Charlie Cook
Recent special elections for House seats have sent a message to Republicans. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

The Specials

By Charlie Cook
It is very easy, often tempting, to over-interpret the meaning of a special congressional election. Many read great importance into the results of a single congressional district and try to extrapolate that meaning to 434 other dist...

Read More »
POLITICS

The Rev. Kamikaze

By Charlie Cook
The race that seemed to be over may not be over, thanks to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

The New, New Math

By Charlie Cook
Despite the recent show of strength by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton , D-N.Y., the odds against her winning the Democratic presidential nomination are as imposing as ever — and probably worse. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

The New, New Math

By Charlie Cook
Despite the recent show of strength by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton , D-N.Y., the odds against her winning the Democratic presidential nomination are as imposing as ever — and probably worse. Read More »
POLITICS

Hillary’s Political Purgatory

By Charlie Cook
Hillary Rodham Clinton is winning the battles but losing the war. Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Keystone Candidates

By Charlie Cook
It’s no wonder supporters of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton , D-N.Y., are wandering around and repeating over and over again, “why didn’t all this happen sooner?” Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Keystone Candidates

By Charlie Cook
It’s no wonder supporters of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton , D-N.Y., are wandering around and repeating over and over again, “why didn’t all this happen sooner?” Read More »
POLITICS

The Chemistry Experiment

By Charlie Cook
Hillary Rodham Clinton’s address to an AFL-CIO group on Wednesday morning could easily have been mistaken for the speech of someone who would soon be the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee. Clinton was warmly received by th...

Read More »

Bitter Pills

By Charlie Cook
Last week, this column speculated that there was a “95 percent chance” of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama winning the Democratic presidential nomination. Further, it stated that “short of a Rev. Jeremiah Wright-level embarrassmen...

Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Bitter Pills

By Charlie Cook
Last week's column speculated that there was a "95-percent chance" of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama winning the Democratic presidential nomination. Furthermore, I stated that "short of a Rev. Jeremiah Wright -level embarrassment vis...

Read More »
THE COOK REPORT

The GOP’s ‘Electile Dysfunction’

By Charlie Cook
Not long ago, many observers were speculating that presumptive GOP presidential nominee John McCain would have trouble uniting his party because of the antipathy that much of the Republican establishment and its right wing had long ...

Read More »
OFF TO THE RACES

Playing To Win

By Charlie Cook
Should Republicans want to hold onto the presidency in 2008? Read More »
SEE MORE
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