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Archive: The Line
The Friday Line: Veepstakes!
Ask someone who works for either Barack Obama (Ill.) or John McCain (Ariz.) about the search for a vice presidential nominee and, to a person, the response you get goes something like this: "It's way too early to even be...
By Chris Cillizza | May 9, 2008; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (464)
The Line: The Top ControGaffes of Campaign '08
NEW ORLEANS -- The Fix is dancing and eating his way through Jazz Fest. Among the highlights from day one: The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Bettye Levette and Kenny Bill Stinson. On the gastronomical side, there were beignets and frozen cafe...
By Chris Cillizza | May 2, 2008; 10:44 AM ET | Comments (264)
Friday Line: McCain's Best Strategic Moves
With Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Ill.) locked in a seemingly endless fight for the Democratic nomination, The Fix is taking a pass on the vice presidential Line this month. There's too much uncertainty -- even for...
By Chris Cillizza | April 25, 2008; 08:17 AM ET | Comments (97)
The Line: McCain Puts 3 Key States in Play
PHILADELPHIA -- The Fix is on the way back from a whirlwind trip to Pennsylvania to check out the lay of the land in advance of the state's presidential primary on Tuesday. But if it's Friday, it's time for The...
By Chris Cillizza | April 18, 2008; 09:35 AM ET | Comments (253)
The Line: The Eyes of Texas Shine on House GOP
House Republicans, desperate for good news in an election cycle that appears to be going from bad to worse, won a rare victory earlier this week when Pete Olson, former chief of staff to Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), crushed former...
By Chris Cillizza | April 11, 2008; 05:00 AM ET | Comments (93)
The Friday Senate Line: Schumer Sets Expectations?
Few politicians have the political chops of Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). Elected to the House in 1980, Schumer bided his time for the better part of two decades before coming from behind to claim victory in a hotly contested Democratic...
By Chris Cillizza | April 4, 2008; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (109)
Friday Line: Pin the VP on the Nominee
One of the benefits of such a long break between primary votes in the Democratic presidential race is that operatives, reporters and politicians have far more free time to engage in the greatest political parlor game of all: the Veepstakes....
By Chris Cillizza | March 28, 2008; 08:42 AM ET | Comments (248)
The Friday List -- Best State Political Blogs?
With apologies to fellow post.com blogger Liz Kelly and her terrific "Celebritology" blog, we wanted to make this a Friday List rather than a traditional Fix Friday Line -- primarily because The Fix is on vacation and watching college hoops....
By Chris Cillizza | March 21, 2008; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (218)
The Friday Line: Which States Will Flip in 2008?
One of the major disagreements between Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Ill.) is which of the two can more effectively broaden the general election playing field. Clinton's campaign points to polling in Florida, Arkansas and Ohio that...
By Chris Cillizza | March 14, 2008; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (439)
Friday House Line: A Special Special Election in Illinois?
Tomorrow's special election in Illinois' 14th District could hold vital clues about the kind of election we'll see in the fall. The seat -- being vacated by former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R) -- should be a relatively easy hold...
By Chris Cillizza | March 7, 2008; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (125)
Friday Senate Line: Republican Recruits?
For months, it appeared as though Senate Republicans would seriously contest only one Democratic-held seat this November as a combination of fund-raising struggles and failed recruitment took seat after seat off the table. Of late, the horizon has brightened --...
By Chris Cillizza | February 29, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (79)
The Line: Let's Get Serious About VeepStakes!
Two-and-a-half weeks after Super Tuesday, the Republican and Democratic presidential nomination contests are nearly resolved. On the Republican side, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) appears to be the all-but-inevitable nominee -- in spite of the recent hubbub about an alleged inappropriate...
By Chris Cillizza | February 22, 2008; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (364)
Friday House Line: Republican Retirements Galore
Over the past decade, House incumbents have grown close to unbeatable. The combination of a 2001 nationwide redistricting that largely sought to protect each party's current membership and the ever-more costly price of campaigns has made it damn near impossible...
By Chris Cillizza | February 15, 2008; 03:01 PM ET | Comments (108)
Friday Senate Line: Dems Remain Strong
For the last few months, The Fix has been, well, fixated on the presidential race. But, with Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) having all but sewn up the Republican nomination, and Sens. Barack Obama (Ill.) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) settling...
By Chris Cillizza | February 8, 2008; 01:33 PM ET | Comments (94)
The Line on Running Mates
As Super Tuesday draws ever closer, the fields for the Democratic and Republican presidential nominations have narrowed significantly. Always fond of basketball metaphors, The Fix has taken to referring to those still standing as the Final Four -- Sens. Barack...
By Chris Cillizza | February 1, 2008; 08:00 AM ET | Comments (477)
The Line: Don't Forget Congress!
We've been receiving some e-mails in The Fix inbox of late chiding us for going all presidential in the last few weeks. While we make no excuses for covering what is, quite frankly, the most wide open, unpredictable and exciting...
By Chris Cillizza | January 18, 2008; 01:26 PM ET | Comments (55)
The Friday Line: Uncertainty Reigns
We're four states into the 2008 presidential election and we're less certain about who the party nominees might be than we were before the voting began. It seems the more ballots that are cast, the more muddied the picture grows....
By Chris Cillizza | January 18, 2008; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (300)
The Line: Conventional 'Wisdom'?
The past eight days have been enough to humble even the most confident of political pundits. Iowa's caucuses and New Hampshire's primary produced two different winners from each party and left journalists, pollsters and political junkies wondering what comes next...
By Chris Cillizza | January 11, 2008; 07:55 AM ET | Comments (111)
The Friday Line: Next Stop New Hampshire
Iowa changes everything. Or maybe not. The meaning of the stunning -- and surprisingly large -- victories by Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Mike Huckabee (R-Ark.) in Iowa last night are still being debated as the political world moves on...
By Chris Cillizza | January 4, 2008; 11:33 AM ET | Comments (166)
The Friday Line: Unforeseen Events Intrude
Though it's easy to forget that the real world exists in the final days of any political campaign, the assassination of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto should serve as a potent reminder that events can change the political calculus...
By Chris Cillizza | December 28, 2007; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (121)
The Line: Someone Has to Win the GOP Nomination
You've heard all the conventional wisdom already. Rudy Giuliani isn't positioned to win a single state before Florida's Jan. 29 primary. It's gotta be one of these guys, right? (AP Photo) Mitt Romney has fallen behind in Iowa and his...
By Chris Cillizza | December 21, 2007; 05:00 AM ET | Comments (215)
The Friday Presidential Line: Obama & Clinton Tied
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Each week -- heck, each day -- is critical now in the race for the presidency. Voters in early states are paying close attention and campaigns have to be at their best. Some candidates are rising...
By Chris Cillizza | December 14, 2007; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (137)
The Line: For Obama, It Takes a Movement
For months, we've written that the only way for Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) -- or any other Democrat for that matter -- to defeat Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) is to make the vote about more than just politics. Line...
By Chris Cillizza | December 7, 2007; 12:01 AM ET | Comments (282)
The Line: GOP Exodus From House Puts Party on Defense
Retirements continue to plague House Republicans' chances at gaining seats in the 2008 election with two new open seats in New Jersey entering the Line this month. As I wrote in an article for the Post earlier this week, the...
By Chris Cillizza | November 30, 2007; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (161)
The Line: Even for Senate GOP, Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining
It would be hard to blame Republican Senate campaign strategists if they spent the first 11 months of the 2008 cycle curled up in the fetal position. The year started badly -- 22 Republican seats up for reelection compared with...
By Chris Cillizza | November 16, 2007; 01:05 PM ET | Comments (96)
The Line: High Stakes in 2010 Govs Races
With the 2007 elections behind us, the gubernatorial landscape for 2008 is decidedly sparse. There are just 11 races on the slate for next November, and only four of those -- Indiana, Missouri, Washington and North Carolina -- are expected...
By Chris Cillizza | November 9, 2007; 05:00 AM ET | Comments (63)
The Line: Casting Doubts on Clinton's Inevitability?
Tuesday's Democratic debate highlighted the two schools of thought about Hillary Clinton's campaign -- and there's truth to both. -- Chris Cillizza
By Chris Cillizza | November 2, 2007; 05:00 AM ET | Comments (206)
The Line: Open-Seat Advantage for House Dems?
The retirements just keep coming for House Republicans. In the past month, five more Republican incumbents decided against seeking another term in 2008. Two hail from districts -- New Mexico's 1st and Ohio's 16th -- where Democrats will be even...
By Chris Cillizza | October 26, 2007; 05:00 AM ET | Comments (159)
The Line: 2008 Gets a Bit Tougher for Senate Republicans
The somewhat surprising retirement announcement made by Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) earlier this week took an already difficult political cycle for Republicans and turned it into something closer to a nightmare. Should he have run for a seventh term in...
By Chris Cillizza | October 19, 2007; 05:00 AM ET | Comments (127)
The Governor's Line: All Eyes on Louisiana
Eight days are all that separate political junkies from the first significant vote of the 2007-2008 election cycle. It will come on Oct. 20 when Rep. Bobby Jindal (R-La.), state Sen. Walter Boasso (D), businessman John Georges (I) and Public...
By Chris Cillizza | October 12, 2007; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (15)
The Line: Retirement Headaches for House GOP
The last month hasn't been a good one for House Republicans. Already on the ropes thanks to President Bush's dismal job approval ratings and continued public unhappiness about the war in Iraq, the strategists in charge of winning back a...
By Chris Cillizza | October 5, 2007; 08:08 AM ET | Comments (121)
The Line: A Tale of Two Nomination Fights
To date, the storylines of the two presidential primary contests have been totally divergent. The Democratic contest has been noteworthy for its stability. The field went through something of a shockwave early this year after it became clear that Barack...
By Chris Cillizza | September 28, 2007; 05:00 AM ET | Comments (415)
The Friday Senate Line: A New Number One
Wow. We knew that September was going to be a crucial month when it came to determing the Senate landscape, but so much has happened since the last Line that it took even us by surprise. Republican Sens. John Warner...
By Chris Cillizza | September 21, 2007; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (236)
The Line: 3 Governors Races to Watch
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By Chris Cillizza | September 14, 2007; 07:14 AM ET | Comments (51)
The Line: Ranking the House Races (and FixCam)
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By Chris Cillizza | September 7, 2007; 11:52 AM ET | Comments (182)
Friday Presidential Line: No Rest for the Weary
It's August -- that lovely month when politics slows down in preparation for the drinking-from-a-water-hose days that come after Labor Day. Unfortunately for The Fix's vacation plans, no one seems to have told the candidates for president. On both sides,...
By Chris Cillizza | August 24, 2007; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (447)
The Line: Where Are the GOP Senate Candidates?
Recruiting is the main task of both parties in the year before an election. It's an arduous process that involves not only trying to find the best candidate and convince him or her to run, but also navigating tricky local...
By Chris Cillizza | August 17, 2007; 05:30 AM ET | Comments (165)
Friday Line: Two Hot Governors Races in 2007
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa -- Even though we're spending most of our time tailing various Republican candidates for president this week, it wouldn't be a Friday without the Line. This week we tackle the gubernatorial playing field. The 2007 races...
By Chris Cillizza | August 10, 2007; 08:34 AM ET | Comments (111)
The Friday Line: Top 2008 Recruits
The Fix is in Chicago for the YearlyKos annual convention this weekend so we'll keep the introduction of The Line short and sweet. Rather than look at the ten House races most likely to switch parties -- as we've done...
By Chris Cillizza | August 3, 2007; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (149)
The Line: Debate Provides '08 Wake-up Call
For anyone not paying attention, the 2008 pre-season is over. If anyone had any doubt about whether the presidential campaign was ramped up, the still-spurting volcano of rhetoric between Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton over who is better...
By Chris Cillizza | July 27, 2007; 05:00 AM ET | Comments (244)
Friday Senate Line
The second-quarter fundraising reports provided lots of good news for Senate Democrats who are already decidedly optimistic about their chances of expanding their majority in 2008. Democratic Reps. Mark Udall (Colo.) and Tom Allen (Me.) both raised more than $1...
By Chris Cillizza | July 20, 2007; 07:30 AM ET | Comments (241)
The Line: Will Vitter Fallout Affect La. Gov. Race?
After a one-week hiatus from The Line due to vacation, we're back with a look at the five most competitive governor's races in the country. The top two slots remain filled by races set for this November, which will inevitably...
By Chris Cillizza | July 13, 2007; 08:00 AM ET | Comments (217)
The Line: GOP Hopes to 'ROMP' Its Way Back to House Majority
Earlier this week The Fix got his hands on the yet-to-be-released ROMP (Regain Our Majority Program) list -- a sort of insider's tip sheet to GOP House incumbents who are thought by party strategists to be at risk of losing...
By Chris Cillizza | June 29, 2007; 07:30 AM ET | Comments (217)
The Line: Can Anyone Measure the Bloomberg Effect?
Just when you thought the 2008 presidential race couldn't get any more interesting, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg unaffiliates from the Republican Party -- further stoking speculation that he will run as an independent for president next November. Who...
By Chris Cillizza | June 22, 2007; 05:00 AM ET | Comments (275)
The Line: Senate Map Is Messy for GOP
Most of the recent action in the budding 2008 Senate campaigns came in races that didn't make our last rankings. In Texas, wealthy attorney Mikal Watts (D) not only formed a campaign committee but also dropped nearly $4 million of...
By Chris Cillizza | June 15, 2007; 05:00 AM ET | Comments (226)
The Line: Battle for House Taking Shape
Slowly but surely the House playing field is starting to take shape. Democrats have scored early recruiting successes in Missouri's 6th District and Ohio's 16th, while Republicans got their men in Georgia's 8th District and California's 11th. But we're still...
By Chris Cillizza | June 1, 2007; 08:00 AM ET | Comments (84)
The Line: As '08 Race Heats Up, Hillary and Rudy Remain on Top
Every month that passes between installments of The Fix's Line on the 2008 presidential race seems like an eternity. With June almost here, the primary campaigns are getting close to fully engaged -- several candidates are on television in the...
By Chris Cillizza | May 25, 2007; 05:00 AM ET | Comments (171)
The Line: Rays of Hope for Senate Republicans?
Senate Republicans haven't had much to smile about in the 2008 election cycle. But over the last few weeks they've seen some positive developments in key contests like Colorado and Oregon that give should give GOP strategists at least some...
By Chris Cillizza | May 18, 2007; 05:00 AM ET | Comments (214)
The Line: Expect a Democratic Runoff in Ky. Gov. Race
It's down to the wire in the Kentucky governor's race. Gov. Ernie Fletcher and former Rep. Anne Northup are exchanging televised body blows over ethics in advance of the May 22 Republican primary, while two former lieutenant governors and a...
By Chris Cillizza | May 11, 2007; 08:30 AM ET | Comments (128)
The Line: GOP Wants Its 'Safe' House Seats Back
The Fix is knee-deep in sorting through the winners and losers from last night's Republican presidential debate, but the thought of going two straight weeks without a Friday Line was just unacceptable. So here's an update on the most-competitive House...
By Chris Cillizza | May 4, 2007; 06:15 AM ET | Comments (104)
