More evidence about how closely divided the nation is politically: 16 states are politically competitive, 16 lean Democratic and 18 lean Republican. That’s the finding of the Gallup Organization after quizzing 177,670 voting-age people about their political preferences in the...
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Rhode Island Most Democratic — Utah Most Republican: Gallup
Photograph by Mike Voss/The Daily Journal/AP Photo
Voting in the Illinois primary election in Bourgonnais.
Party Identification: Ebbs and Flows
The blogosphere has buzzed with complaints about polls this week. Polls that showed President Barack Obama running ahead of Republican Mitt Romney. The common complaint: too many Democrats surveyed. Andy Kohut, one of the best in the business, has an...
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Photograph by Sean Gallup/Getty Images
A worker prepares carpeting next to a symbol of a cloud at the Deutsche Telekom stand during CeBIT 2012.
Federal Contractors Gobbling Subs
Washington belt-tightening may be having a dramatic impact on the acquisition strategies of the nation’s largest government contractors. In an effort to keep government cash flowing, companies such as Dell, Citrix and Symantec have been gobbling up smaller companies in...
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Photograph by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Mitt Romney with senior advisor Beth Myers aboard his campaign plane.
Romney: `Paid Taxes Every Year’
“I have paid taxes every year, and a lot of taxes,” Republican Mitt Romney said today. His unequivocal statement is a response to suggestions from Harry Reid, the Democratic Senate majority leader, that Romney has averted paying taxes for many...
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Photograph by Jacob Silberberg/Getty Images
A train attendant prepares a complimentary dinner in a microwave aboard Amtrak's Acela Express in New York City.
Amtrak: `On Second Thought — Make Mine a Cheeseburger’
Here’s a business model: A passenger on Amtrak pays $9.50 for a pre-packaged cheeseburger steamed up in the microwave in the dining car. It costs Amtrak $16.15 to deliver it. That’s what John Mica, the Florida Republican who chairs the...
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Photograph by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Mitt Romney during a campaign event at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds on August 2, 2012 in Golden, Colorado.
Romney Ratchets the Adjectives: `Kick in the Gut, Hammer Blow’
Today, Mitt Romney called the latest report of 8.3 percent unemployment “a hammer blow” to middle-class families. Last month, he called June’s 8.2 percent “a kick in the gut.” In June, he called May’s 8.2 percent “devastating news for American...
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Photograph by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Volunteers at a food bank in Ft. Belvoir, Virginia.
Bloomberg by the Numbers: 87 pct
That’s the share of Americans who rate the national economy as “not so good” or “poor,” according to the Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index, which also asks people to rate their personal finances and the buying climate. The 87 percent figure...
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Photograph by Scott Eells/Bloomberg
A job seeker speaks with an employer at the Veterans On Wall Street job fair in New York.
Jobs Added: 163,000 — Unemployment Rate Rises: 8.3 pct
Updated at 9:25 am and 9:45 am EDT The monthly gain in jobs in July has nearly doubled the past two months’ anemic reports — and nearly tripled the revised gain for June. Yet the unemployment rate has inched up...
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Photograph by Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
President Barack Obama during a campaign event in Leesburg, Virginia, on August 2, 2012.
Obama’s Marginal (3 pct) July Lead
July would appear to be a good month for President Barack Obama. Not a great month. That would be the conclusion of a run of public opinion polls which, taken one at a time, have portrayed a series of confusing...
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Contributors
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Al Hunt
is a columnist for Bloomberg View and host of the weekly show "Political Capital with Al Hunt" on Bloomberg TV. -
Mark Silva
is deputy managing editor for government news in Washington and editor of Political Capital. He has covered the White House and national politics. -
Emma Fidel
is political editor for Bloomberg.com in Washington. She previously covered financial regulation as a Bloomberg intern. -
Don Frederick
edits political and government coverage for Bloomberg News. He previously worked for more than a decade at the Los Angeles Times' Washington bureau. -
Gregory Giroux
analyzes elections, financing of congressional and presidential elections, political advertising and demographics in Bloomberg's Washington Bureau. -
Julie Bykowicz
covers the influence of money and lobbying in Washington, and covered the state legislature and city crime for the Baltimore Sun for 10 years. -
Jonathan Salant
covers campaign finance and lobbying in Washington. He was president of the National Press Club and started in Washington in 1987. -
Richard Rubin
covers federal tax policy. He worked at Congressional Quarterly and The Charlotte Observer before joining Bloomberg News in 2010. -
Julie Hirschfeld Davis
is a senior political reporter for the Washington Bureau. She covered the 2012 campaign for Bloomberg News and previously covered the White House for the Baltimore Sun. -
Lisa Lerer
covers the White House and covered the 2012 campaign for Bloomberg News. She covered Congress, lobbying and the 2008 campaign for Politico. -
John McCormick
is a national political reporter looking forward to the 2016 presidential campaign, which will be the fifth he's covered. He's also reported for The Des Moines Register and Chicago Tribune. -
Julianna Goldman
covers the White House for Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Television. -
Hans Nichols
covers the White House for Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Television. -
Margaret Talev
covers the White House for Bloomberg News and covered the White House for McClatchy Newspapers. She has covered California and Florida politics. -
Cary O'Reilly
is Editor at Large at Bloomberg First Word and is Washington Daybook columnist for Bloomberg Government and Bloomberg News.
