I posted a variety of items to spur the research, but here's a bit more to make the search efficient. Remember that since this is a class on the national government, the focus should be on elections to the positions open on the national level. Many directions are possible - these can include looks at the issues related to the overall activities in each institution, including who controls each chamber and what the consequence of that might be, as well as the race for specific positions in Texas.
What's at stake?
On the national level, control of the Unites States House and Senate - which will impact the nature of governance over the next two years, and indirectly influence the 2016 presidential election.
- For detail on the current Congress - the 113th Congress - click here.
- Here's a profile of the 113th Congress from the Congressional Research Service.
Control of Congress is now divided between the two major parties. Republicans control the 435 member House of Representatives by 35 seats, all of which are up for re-election. Democrats could take over the institution by winning 18 seats. Democrats control the Senate. There are 53 Democrats and 2 independents that caucus with the Democrats, and 45 Republicans. If Republicans win 6 seats, they control the institution.
One thing to note - only one third of the Senate is up for grabs. This is a result of the institution's design. Each member of the Senate serves a 6 year term - and these terms are staggered. At no point can the population vote out every member of the Senate, which insulates the institution from the general population. The members that are running for re-election won their seats in the election of 2008 - when President Obama was first elected to the White House.
Ever member of the House is up for re-election since they each serve two year terms, and there are national elections every two years. The House is supposed to be responsive to the shifts in preferences in the general population. The Senate is not.
This should already provide a few hints about possible topics.
- What factors are driving this years' election as opposed to previous ones? You may wish to focus specifically on the race for the House, or the race for the Senate. You may instead choose to think about the difference in the factors that affect each chamber. We have a bicameral Congress for a reason - and the different ways each chamber's elections are designed is central to keeping each chamber distinct.
- Keep in mind that this is a mid-term election, meaning that the presidency is not up for grabs. Turnout will be lower, and substantively different than that during presidential years - this matters. Which groups are passionate about this years election, which ones are not?
- A similar question can be asked about the issues that are driving this year's election. To what degree to these mirror those of previous elections? To what degree are they different? Does this matter for the outcome?
- The last midterm election was one of the most contentious in American history because it featured the Tea Party wave. Republicans won about 60 seats that year. No one is predicting anything similar this year - why? Might they be wrong?
- Control of each institution might come down to a handful of closely divided races in states where the balance between each party is relatively close. You might find it worthwhile to look at these races and determine what small areas of the country might ultimately determine which party controls each institution. Control of the Senate for example, may ultimately come down to the decisions made by the voters of Georgia or Louisiana. What's with that?
- In contrast to the question above - there are few questions about how the voters of Texas will vote and who will win the national positions up for grabs. You might want to consider why. What makes Texas politics less competitive than that in other states?
I'll post a few more things over the nest couple of weeks - but within a couple weeks I'd like you to have a solid idea of what you intend to write about - that'll make the project doable.
