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Year after year, his campaign slogan read, “my Congressman IS a rocket scientist.” A nuclear physicist and former college professor, Rush Holt, the eight-term congressman from New Jersey’s 12 th District, was perhaps best known as the legislator who won Jeopardy five times and beat the computer, Watson. In the House, he used his expertise to champion funding of science research and education. And while his intellect cannot be challenged, it appears there will be an all new set of challengers f

Public funding of political party activities is certainly not a new concept in the United States. In fact, the idea was floated as early as 1907 by President Theodore Roosevelt. However, electoral systems have evolved dramatically since President Roosevelt's time. That evolution has created many concerns and questions which must be addressed. For example, why are voters subsidizing private political organizations though their taxes? Why is subscription to ideology-driven partisanship a prerequi

With the November general election a few months away and several primary and special elections ahead, the Presidential Commission on Election Administration released a report in January outlining several recommendations to shore up voting lines, increase voter participation and registration, and improve the voter experience. The commission specifically called for states to encourage the use of schools as polling places. Yet, some state election boards and school administrations have pushed back

It seems that in every cycle there is debate about which states should hold the first presidential primary elections. Some state always seems to try to jump ahead of Iowa and New Hampshire. Since 1972, the Iowa Caucuses have been first in the nation and New Hampshire has been the first "primary" since 1920. There, of course, have been states that have attempted to circumvent Iowa and New Hampshire, claiming that they don't truly represent America as they are small states with seemingly narrow

Last year, former Newark Mayor Cory Booker was elected to the United States Senate following a special election that pitted the Twitter superstar -- among the most recognizable politicians in the state -- against ultra-conservative Republican Steve Lonegan. It was a polarizing race, and though most considered the competition to be a near-guaranteed win for the Democrats, the Republican nominee came closer to victory than any other GOP candidate in recent memory. Now, with the remainder of late-S

Senator Rand Paul's avid libertarian supporters view him as a philosopher statesman with a robust and nuanced understanding of government. His more progressive critics argue that Paul is an old fossil representing outdated and discredited ideas. Either way, Rand Paul's 2016 presidential ambitions continue to strengthen, especially in the wake of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's recent "Bridgegate" scandal. So here's a review of the feisty Kentucky senator's political views in a form that p

In many ways, Steve Lonegan was the Republicans’ sacrificial lamb in the New Jersey special Senate election in 2013. Cory Booker entered the race as a high profile candidate who, from the very beginning, was expected to win the seat with a wide margin. Many of the bigger Republican names stayed away while Lonegan, a former mayor of the small town of Bogota, NJ, bravely decided to face the popular Newark mayor. When Booker did get elected with a 55-44 margin, it was an easy win, but also one tha

Primaries first began in the early twentieth century as a response to increasingly strong party control over elections. At the time, voters wanted a larger say in who would be chosen as their candidate, instead of the long-standing tradition of party bosses choosing who would run for office. Progressive reformers viewed direct primaries as a way for constituencies to increase transparency and allow for citizens to participate in the electoral process. As primaries became a feature of local, stat

Politics surrounding Hurricane Sandy and relief efforts is nothing new. Republicans attacked New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in 2012 for publicly shaking hands with President Barack Obama during a presidential election year and working with the administration to quickly respond to the needs of the ravaged New Jersey shore. Relief aid was later held up in Congress. Now, fresh on the heels of the scandal that is colloquially known as "bridge-gate," the headline story for cable news stations on

The mainstream media hoped it would be a real juicy story to lead their liberal newscasts. The Democrats, they wish it would be his demise. But the Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and his administration's involvement in the closing of a couple of lanes of the George Washington Bridge that led to a traffic jam back in September, does not compare to the scandals that are plaguing the Obama administration. Now, you're not going to hear this in the mainstream media.”—Sean Hannity on Fox News, 1/10/1