Elections - Politico

Democrats in Connecticut and Washington closed ranks Thursday behind embattled Sen. Chris Dodd after the release of a stunning poll that showed the one-time presidential candidate has cratered in the wake of the AIG-bonus controversy.

President Barack Obama called the G-20 summit in London Wednesday a “turning point” in the effort to reverse the global economic meltdown and praised the nations’ joint efforts as a historic step on the road to stability.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has set her sights on passing a global warming bill by the end of the year, pushing past strong misgivings from moderate Democrats in the House and Senate.

Former Health and Human Services nominee Tom Daschle has said he would remain involved in the push for health care reform — and it’s becoming clearer how he might do it.

Politicians are not known for their athletic prowess, but a handful of them managed to pull off an impressive victory against Georgetown Law professors Wednesday night at the 22nd Annual Home Court Charity Basketball Game between the "Capitol Hill's Angels" and the "Hoya Lawyas."

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, President Obama's nominee to be secretary of Health and Human Services, says in testimony for her confirmation hearing that present and future jobs depend on the extensive changes he has proposed to the economy's biggest sector.

Former AIG CEO Maurice “Hank” Greenberg says the bailout has "failed" and he's proposing a 10-point alternative focused on saving, not breaking apart, the mega-insurer.

Rep. Connie Mack is getting pretty good at calling for people’s heads.

Rep. John P. Murtha can be found during House votes holding court in the “Murtha Corner” or “Pennsylvania Corner” of the chamber floor, laughing and joking with his fellow lawmakers or talking strategy about upcoming legislation.

Frank: GOP suffers 'psychological disorder'

The legal fight between Al Franken and Norm Coleman is headed to the desk of Gov. Tim Pawlenty — a no-win predicament for a Minnesota Republican with his eye on a White House run in 2012.

The pledge by Defense Secretary Robert Gates to close the spigot of military spending that opened after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks has drawn defense contractors by the hundreds to Capitol Hill in recent weeks — all of them trying to shore up congressional support for their projects.

When Ted Stevens was convicted on corruption charges last year, John McCain and Mitch McConnell made matters worse for him by demanding that he give up his seat in the Senate.

The House and Senate face a flurry of final budget votes Thursday, with Republicans pushed to the margins and having come forward only in the past 24 hours with a detailed alternative of their own.

Mitt Romney sounded very much like a 2012 presidential candidate Wednesday evening.

The chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said Wednesday the undecided special election in New York’s 20th congressional district showed the potency of the Democrats’ economic message and the perils of the GOP’s stiffly oppositional stance toward the president.

What do you get for a woman who has everything—palaces, crown jewels, a nation at her feet? If you’re President Barack Obama, and it’s the Queen of England, a personalized iPod, of course.

Eric Holder’s decision to drop the Ted Stevens case is just the kind of bold stroke longtime critics of the Bush Justice Department wanted from the new attorney general. In one move, he issued a sharp rebuke to a high-profile Bush-era prosecution and asserted his authority over the department.

House Democrats keep clawing away at those troublesome AIG bonuses, with little evidence that the Senate is going to fast track a bill to rip away the payouts.

For the second time in less than a week, a Democratic leader is calling on liberal groups to back off in their efforts to target moderate Democrats who have been skeptical of President Barack Obama's ambitious budget.

LONDON — Barack Obama devoted much of his inaugural speech and first few days in office to repudiating his predecessor - and it was no different Wednesday when he set foot on the world stage for the first time.

A top adviser to President Barack Obama, whose rejection of public funding for his presidential campaign is widely considered to have killed the Watergate-era reform, is accusing Republican rival John McCain of damaging efforts to revive the system.

Flying in the face of the White House — and perhaps last November’s election results — House Republicans proposed Wednesday to recall much of President Barack Obama’s economic recovery plan and then go forward with new business tax cuts and a five-year freeze on non-defense spending.

A California congresswoman is pressing forward with legislation to set up a permanent federal commission on women just weeks after President Barack Obama created an interagency council to focus the government’s policies towards women and girls.

One Michigan lawmaker is upping the pressure on bailed-out banks to cut the auto companies a break.

LONDON – The smile said it all.

Attorney General Eric Holder has decided to abandon the criminal prosecution that brought an end to the political career of one of Washington’s most powerful figures: former GOP Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – There’s no winner yet in the Upstate New York special election, and it might be mid-April before the race is settled. But a few things are clearer after Tuesday’s contest, none of it welcome news to the Republican Party.