15. May 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Reuters provides the latest election news and polling data for races across the country.  Current polling data on Reuters Election 2012 indicate that Obama has a 227 to 180 advantage over Romney in the electoral college.  However, most of the ten states listed as toss-ups lean towards the Republican.  A few of the toss-up states are Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia.  The four states account for 68 electoral votes.

To visit the Reuters Election 2012 site, please click here:

http://www.reuters.com/politics/elections-2012

Jim Sutliff

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10. May 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Indiana Republican Senator Dick Lugar was defeated in a Republican primary by Richard Mourdock.  Senator Lugar has held the Indiana Senate seat for 35 years.  Mourdock is the Indiana State Treasurer and won the election despite being heavily outspent by Senator Lugar.  Mourdock will face Democratic candidate Joe Donnelly in the November election.  The Indiana Senate seat is likely to remain Republican.

To read a related Fox News article, please click here:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/05/08/longtime-gop-sen-richard-lugar-loses-indiana-primary-to-challenger-richard/

James Sutliff

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21. April 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Utah Republican Senator Orrin Hatch will face a primary against Dan Liljenquist.  Liljenquist received 40.8% of the state delegates to force a primary.  The Republican primary will be held on June 26th.  Orrin Hatch has served six terms in the United States Senate.

To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-21/hatch-is-forced-into-republican-primary-with-utah-state-senator.html

James Sutliff

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28. February 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Maine Senator Olympia Snowe has announced that she will not run for re-election in 2012.  The Republican Senator was first elected in 1994 and was expected to win in 2012.  Democrats are expected to campaign heavily for the open seat in November.  Even with the retirement of Senator Snowe, Republicans are likely to win a majority in the Senate.

To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-28/maine-gop-sen-snowe-won-t-seek-re-election.html

James Sutliff

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16. February 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

The House and Senate could vote on the payroll tax deal as early as Friday.  Four Democratic Senators and all 13 House Representatives at the payroll tax conference signed the agreement.  Republic Senators did not sign the agreement but that should not prevent passage of the tax cut measure.  The payroll tax cut agreement resolves an issue early in the election year.

To read a related Roll Call article, please click here:

http://www.rollcall.com/news/conferees_sign_payroll_tax_deal-212503-1.html?pos=hftxt

James Sutliff

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28. December 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson announced that he would not run for another term.  Democrats are trying to recruit former Senator Bob Kerrey as a candidate.  The retirement is likely to move another seat to the Republicans.  Republicans are also likely to pick up seats in North Dakota, Montana, Virginia, and Florida.

To read a related Roll Call article, please click here:

http://www.rollcall.com/news/ben_nelson_exit_shifts_nebraska_senate_seat_to_likely_gop-211281-1.html?pos=htmbtxt

Jim Sutliff

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22. December 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

House Republicans are set to approve a two month extension of the payroll tax cut.  House Republican John Boehner has come to an agreement with Democratic Senator Harry Reid.  The agreement would extend the tax cut for two months and begin negotiations to work out a deal for a full year extension. The payroll tax cut lowers the rate from 6.2% to 4.2%.

To read a related Roll Call article, please click here:

http://www.rollcall.com/news/john_boehner_harry_reid_reach_deal_payroll_tax_holiday-211247-1.html?pos=hftxt

Jim Sutliff

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17. December 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

The Senate passed a two month extension of the payroll tax cut.  On Saturday, the measure passed the Senate with a vote of 89-10.  The payroll tax cut amounts to a two percent drop from 6.2% to 4.2%.   An increase in fees for new mortgages backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will cover the cost of the tax cut.

To read a related MSNBC article, please click here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45707185/ns/politics/

James Sutliff

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12. December 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

Republican and Democratic officials have agreed on a spending bill through October 1st 2012.  Specific details of the agreement are expected to be released on Tuesday.  The measure still requires approval of the Senate and the House of Representatives.  The current spending bill is set to expire this Friday.

To read a related Reuters article, please click here:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/13/us-usa-budget-idUSTRE7B72MK20111213

James Sutliff

Posted in Infrastructure, Congress, Economy, 2012, Budget, Tax, Republican, Business, Democrat, General, Politics, Administrative | No Comments »

28. November 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

Congressman Barney Frank has announced that he will not seek another term. Frank has been in Congress for 16 terms and was expected to retire in 2014. Redistricting played a role in his decision to retire in 2012. Newly drawn congressional maps shifted his district out of his power base in Brookline and Newton.

To read a related Roll Call article, please click here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-28/crude-oil-climbs-after-u-s-thanksgiving-retail-sales-surge-to-a-record.html

James Sutliff

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19. November 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

The Super Committee remained deadlocked on Saturday as Republicans and Democrats could not agree on a compromise.  Budget savings of $1.2 trillion are required by midnight on Wednesday.  If an agreement is not reached by the deadline it could send stocks lower in light holiday trading.  Traders could sell and take gains or lock in losses before the end of the year.  In addition, lack of an agreement could lead to credit agencies downgrading US debt.

To read a related Reuters article, please click here:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/19/us-usa-debt-supercommittee-idUSTRE7AC0LS20111119

James Sutliff

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9. November 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

The GOP needed to pick up two seats in the Virginia State Senate to gain control and they may have succeeded.  Republicans picked up one race and are ahead by 86 votes in another contest.  Republican control of  the State Senate would move the redistricting process forward and allow Republicans to hold on to their 8-3 advantage in Congressional races.

To read a related Roll Call article, please click here:

http://www.rollcall.com/news/balance_power_virginia_senate_state_still_unclear-210166-1.html?pos=hbtxt

Jim Sutliff

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6. August 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

World leaders are meeting this weekend to discuss the debt crises in Europe and the United States.  The downgrade of U.S. debt by Standard and Poor’s on Friday will test the strength of financial markets.  Also, markets may negatively react if the European central bank does not purchase Italian and Spanish debt on Monday.

To read a related Reuters article, please click here:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/06/us-eurozone-idUSTRE7712HB20110806

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Economy, Federal Reserve, Presidential, 2012, Budget, Treasury, Congress, Tax, Democrat, Business, General, Politics, Republican, Administrative | No Comments »

1. August 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

The House passed legislation to raise the debt ceiling with a vote of 269-161.  Only 66 Republicans opposed the bill and 95 Democrats supported the legislation.  The legislation will raise the debt ceiling by $2.1 trillion and cut federal spending by $2.4 trillion. 

To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-01/obama-debt-cap-deal-with-congress-leaders-avoids-default-vote-due-today.html

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Economy, Congress, Presidential, 2012, Budget, Republican, Regulatory, Business, Democrat, General, Politics, Administrative | No Comments »

31. July 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

Congress is close to an agreement on a deal to raise the debt ceiling.  Republican and Democratic Senators are meeting on Sunday in an attempt to finalize a deal before the financial markets open on Monday.  The Dollar fell against all major currencies in trading at the end of last week.

To read a related Yahoo! article, please click here:

http://news.yahoo.com/congress-closing-deal-avert-us-default-163724983.html

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Economy, Congress, Presidential, 2012, Budget, Republican, Regulatory, Business, Democrat, General, Politics, Administrative | No Comments »