Congressional Elections

BOSTON - The race for a Senate seat once held by John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, John F. Kennedy and "liberal lion" Edward M. Kennedy is shaping up as a battle of relative national unknowns, led by a state Democratic insider and a Republican lawmaker perhaps best known as a male centerfold and father of an "American Idol" contestant. Full Story »

As tempting a target as Sen. Christopher J. Dodd is for Republicans in 2010, one Connecticut candidate has decided to skip a crowded Senate primary and instead run for governor. Full Story »

Top House Democratic leaders, admitting that voters will judge Democrats in next year's elections largely on the nation's unemployment rate, said Thursday they plan action on limited jobs legislation this month but will put off a more comprehensive effort until Congress returns in January. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders said on Wednesday that he was placing a hold on Ben Bernanke's nomination for a second term as Federal Reserve chairman, a move that could slow the confirmation process. Full Story »

Scott Brown harbors no illusions about the difficulty of being the GOP standard-bearer in the special Senate election to replace liberal icon Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. Full Story »

The final debate for Democratic primary candidates in Massachusetts' Senate special election did little to alter the dynamics of the race. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama's fellow Democrats in Congress face potential peril in next year's election resulting from his decision to send an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan. Full Story »

Democrat Makes Her Case for N.C. Senate Race Full Story »

In what appears to be a case of right news, wrong timing for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, word began to leak out Tuesday that Democratic former North Carolina state Sen. Cal Cunningham has decided to reverse an earlier decision and will challenge incumbent Republican Richard M. Burr in 2010. Full Story »

Sensing momentum from strong fundraising and polling that showed him ahead in the 2010 Kentucky Republican Senate primary, ophthalmologist Rand Paul recently tried to make the case that the GOP establishment was wavering in its support of his opponent, Secretary of State Trey Grayson. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The No. 2 Democrat in the House of Representatives said on Tuesday he supports raising the United States' debt ceiling to a high enough level so lawmakers will not have to boost it again before the November 2010 congressional elections. Full Story »

No matter what Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand does, the freshman senator from New York has not been able to scare off talk of a big-name 2010 challenge, either in the primary or the general election. Full Story »

With the midterm election now less than a year away, Washington is becoming predictably fixated on how voters will next alter the partisan makeup of Congress. But focusing entirely on the hottest contests for the House and Senate illuminates only part of the story, because those outcomes will affect the political dynamic at the Capitol for only two years. Full Story »

WASHINGTON - Sen. John Ensign said Monday that heeding calls for his resignation would make it harder for Republicans to unseat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid next year. Full Story »

Former Massachusetts governor and 1988 Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis endorsed Rep. Michael E. Capuano in the Democratic primary for the Senate special election Sunday at an event in Brookline, Mass. Full Story »

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - Consumer activist and Connecticut native Ralph Nader said Friday he is "absorbing" the reaction he's receiving about a possible bid for the U.S. Senate, saying he wants to first gauge the level of grassroots support before making a decision. Full Story »

HILLSIDE, N.J. - Former CNN host Lou Dobbs is seriously considering running for U.S. Senate in New Jersey in 2012 as a stepping stone to a possible White House bid — a congressional matchup that would pit one of illegal immigration's biggest critics against a champion for immigrant rights. Full Story »

Democratic incumbent Kirsten Gillibrand may have a serious problem on her hands if Rudy Giuliani gets in next year's race for the U.S. Senate in New York State. Full Story »