Politics : NPR

Being 'Better Off' May Not Be Enough To Win Colo.

President Obama speaks during a campaign event at University of Colorado Boulder Sept. 2. He and his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, will have their first debate at the University of Denver on Wednesday. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP hide caption

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Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

Being 'Better Off' May Not Be Enough To Win Colo.

KUNC

September 30, 2012 • Certain sectors of the state's economy are more robust than they were four years ago, but that doesn't mean everyone's happy with the recovery. The state is sharply divided about the role of government in the economy, an issue that will be at the forefront of the upcoming presidential debate there.

Presidential Race

Candidates Push For Colo. To Swing In Their Favor

September 30, 2012 • Colorado is one of a handful of battleground states which could tip this year's election. President Obama won the state in 2008, but polls suggest a tighter contest this election year. Host Rachel Martin talks with Judy Strogoff, editor-publisher of The Colorado Statesman, a weekly nonpartisan political paper based in Denver.

Presidential Race

Campaigns Prepare For Highly Anticipated Debates

September 30, 2012 • Wednesday, President Obama and former Gov. Mitt Romney will face each other on the same stage for the first time. It will be one of three opportunities before the election. It could be one of the last opportunities for the candidates to sway voters who haven't yet made up their mind. Host Rachel Martin talks with NPR's Scott Horsley and Ari Shapiro, who have been on the trail with the Romney and Obama campaigns.

Ohio County A Historic Predictor Of State's Vote

President Barack Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney both campaigned in the battleground state of Ohio this week. AP hide caption

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AP

Presidential Race

Ohio County A Historic Predictor Of State's Vote

September 29, 2012 • President Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney barnstormed Ohio this week. And both candidates also held rallies in or near Wood County, which has picked the winner in all but one presidential election since 1960.

What Winning The 'Catholic Vote' Means Today

Archbishop John J. Myers stands outside Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, N.J. The archbishop has urged followers to assess the presidential candidates for their views on abortion and gay marriage. Mel Evans/AP hide caption

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Mel Evans/AP

What Winning The 'Catholic Vote' Means Today

September 29, 2012 • Catholics used to reliably side with Democrats, in large part because of the labor union movement. But after a century of integration, the group started to look like the rest of the American constituency. But out of this population, two new voting blocs have emerged — with more reliable preferences.

A Dip Into The Annals Of Presidential Debates

September 29, 2012 • The first in a series of presidential debates is coming up on Wednesday. Host Scott Simon talks to trivia expert AJ Jacobs about some of the lesser known facts of presidential debates of the past.

Presidential Race

Scramble For Ohio Has High Stakes For Romney

September 29, 2012 • Every four years the Presidential campaigns roll into Ohio. This year, the stakes are especially high for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney because no Republican has ever won the White House without a victory in Ohio. NPR's Don Gonyea reports.

Utah's Democratic Congressman Faces A GOP Anomaly

Mia Love, the mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah, addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Aug. 28. She's running for Congress against incumbent Democrat Jim Matheson. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption

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J. Scott Applewhite/AP

House & Senate Races

Utah's Democratic Congressman Faces A GOP Anomaly

KUER 90.1

September 29, 2012 • Incumbent Jim Matheson is the state's only Democratic congressman and faces a tough battle for a seventh term. His rival is Mia Love, who if elected would become the first black Republican female member of Congress.

In Ohio, Obama and Romney Duel Over Trade With China

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney speaks during a roundtable discussion on manufacturing this Wednesday in Bedford Heights, Ohio. MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

It's All Politics

In Ohio, Obama and Romney Duel Over Trade With China

September 28, 2012 • Romney and Obama are waging an ad war in the swing state of Ohio over Chinese trade. Part of the reason is that Ohio's manufacturing industry — especially for autos — is firing on all cylinders.

Presidential Race

In Ohio, China's A Top Campaigning Point

September 28, 2012 • The Obama administration recently filed a complaint against China with the World Trade Organization. Meanwhile the two campaigns are having an ad war in Ohio over Chinese trade. Part of the reason is that Ohio's manufacturing industry — especially for autos — is firing on all cylinders.

In Presidential Ads, A Shared Strategy For Connection

President Obama and Mitt Romney campaign in August: Obama in Leesburg, Va.; Romney in Waukesha, Wis. AP hide caption

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AP

The Message Machine

In Presidential Ads, A Shared Strategy For Connection

September 28, 2012 • In new ads from President Obama and challenger Mitt Romney, the candidates talk directly to the camera. Obama is also putting out longer television spots. Why the change of style?

In Blue-Leaning Connecticut, Tight Senate Race Has Democrat On Offense

Linda McMahon (center) visits a senior center in Naugatuck, Conn., this month. Jessica Hill/AP hide caption

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Jessica Hill/AP

It's All Politics

In Blue-Leaning Connecticut, Tight Senate Race Has Democrat On Offense

September 28, 2012 • Former wrestling executive Linda McMahon, in her second attempt at becoming Connecticut's first female senator, is close in the polls. If McMahon defeats Democratic Rep. Chris Murphy, she'd also become the state's first GOP senator in decades.

It's All Politics

Citing 'Zero Tolerance' For Voter Fraud, RNC Fires Firm Over Florida Questions

September 28, 2012 • A consulting firm hired by the Republican National Committee to register voters in five battleground states has been let go after one of its workers apparently submitted over 100 questionable registration forms in Florida's Palm Beach County.

It's All Politics

Presidential Debates: The One Area Where Campaigns Pitch Their Weakness

September 28, 2012 • An oddity of presidential politics is that candidates and their campaigns spend nearly all their time telling voters how superior they are to their rivals in virtually every area: the wisdom of their policy proposals; the soundness of their judgments — everything, really. Except for debating.

Secrets Of Winning The Presidential Debates

Then-Sen. Barack Obama gets makeup applied at a presidential candidate forum in Lake Forest, Calif., on Aug. 16, 2008. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption

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Alex Brandon/AP

Elections

Secrets Of Winning The Presidential Debates

September 28, 2012 • For President Obama and Mitt Romney, voter reaction to their first debate may be less about what they say and more about how they say it (and how they look, sound and gesture). That's what experts in body language, fashion, even makeup said when asked for their unsolicited advice to the candidates.