Outside the Beltway

Rand Paul’s flailing Presidential campaign seems to be raising concerns about his Senate seat among some Republicans.

RNC Chairman Reince Priebus suggested that Iowa and New Hampshire shouldn’t get used to their place at the top of the primary calendar. He’s right, but fixing the crazy system that put them there isn’t going to be easy.

Once a candidate that many believed could become the Republican nominee, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is dropping out of the race for President.

The pressure on Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz to expand the 2016 debate schedule is increasing.

Time is running out for Joe Biden to make a decision about running for President, and it’s still not clear what he’ll do.

Scott Walker used to have a commanding lead in Iowa, now he’s in 7th place. That’s just another sign of the troubles facing his campaign.

Vice-President Biden dropped another hint that suggests he might not be up to running for President.

Bernie Sanders has jumped ahead of Hillary Clinton in the Hawkeye State.

Two candidates with no political experienced whatsoever are tied in Iowa as Republican voters continue to reject anyone with political experience.

Some of Hillary Clinton’s Democratic opponents are complaining about the DNC’s parsimonious debate schedule.

Another poll shows Bernie Sanders doing will in New Hampshire, but there’s no evidence he’s catching on anywhere else in the country.

If we are gong to assess the significance of Trump, we need to pay attention to the numbers.

For a variety of reasons, it’s unlikely that the Republican field will shrink significantly before the Iowa Caucuses.

With just over a week to go, Republican candidates for President are fighting for the movement in the polls that could get them in to the August 6th debate.

His remarks about John McCain’s military service don’t seem to be hurting Donald Trump with Republican true believers.

There’s another round of reports about Joe Biden running for President, but I wouldn’t put much stock them.

The Igneous Is Bliss Edition OTB Caption Contest^TM is now over.

A new polls seems to show that Republicans are still clinging to their opposition to marriage equality in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell.

As much as I wish it were otherwise, Iowa and New Hampshire are not losing their influence over the Presidential primary process.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker will be entering the race for President later this month, but it’s unclear if his recent turn to the hard right will help him or hurt him.

Donald Trump has gotten almost nothing but negative press since entering the race for President, but it doesn’t seem to be hurting him very much just yet.

Virginia Republicans are deciding later this week how they will make their choice in the 2016 Presidential Race. And they may end up regretting their decision.

After 36 years, the quadrennial absurdity of the Iowa Straw Poll is dead.

Rick Perry is hoping to do something that hasn’t happened before in American politics, come back from a campaign that imploded.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker isn’t officially a candidate for President yet, but he’s doing quite well in Iowa anyway.

The New York Times really, really wants a horse race for the Democratic nomination.

The Iowa Straw Poll seems to be dying, and that’s a good thing.

What if they held a straw poll and nobody came?

Drip, Drip, Drip.

Some analysts are wondering if Jeb Bush might just forgo investing serious resources in the Iowa Caucuses.

The Republican debate stage in 2016 is going to be even more crowded than it was in 2012.

Jeb Bush will not participate in this year’s version of the Iowa Straw Poll.

A new poll has some bad news for Jeb Bush in the Hawkeye State, which leads to the idea that maybe he shouldn’t waste too much time there to begin with.

Mike Huckabee’s back, but the 2008 magic is gone.

Less than two weeks after entering the race, Florida Senator Marco Rubio is at the top of the GOP field in a new poll.

After declining to run in 2012, Mike Huckabee’s entry into the 2016 race seems fairly certain.

Ted Cruz kicks off with the first of what is likely to be a string of candidates getting into the 2016 race in the coming month.

The 2008 runner-up has scared off all serious challengers for 2016. Why?

Ben Carson is inching closer to running for President, and he’s continuing to pander to the most extreme elements of the Republican Party.

Scott Walker surged to the top of a new poll of Iowa Republicans, but Iowa is not a very good predictor of success in the race for the GOP nomination.

Advantage: Hillary.

Rick Santorum looks to be getting ready to hit the campaign trail again, but it’s doubtful he can find appeal beyond the religious conservatives who supported him in 2012.

Even leaving aside the fact that it is far too early to be making such assessments, the idea that Rand Paul is the front runner for the Republican nomination in 2016 fails the logic test.

Mike Huckabee seems to be making the moves necessary to run for President again, For reasons only he can understand.

Trying to explain one of the biggest surprises of Election Night 2014.

It’s way too early, folks.

The fact that a candidate like Mike Huckabee could win the Iowa Caucuses is the reason to end the Iowa Caucuses.