Founder of The C-Plan (2013), a bipartisan movement promoting civility, cooperation, and compromise in American politics. Quantitative researcher and owner of DataStar, Inc., a survey management firm in Waltham, MA.
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In today’s environment of political divisiveness, what could be more nonpartisan than a “unity ticket” comprised of a Republican and Democrat running together? As remarkable as this sounds, this is essentially the situation in the 2014 gubernatorial election in Alaska. Incumbent Sean Parnell, who succeeded Sarah Palin as Alaska’
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Massachusetts' 6th Congressional District comprises a wide swath of the North Shore of Boston, an eclectic mix of wealthy, exclusive towns, working class areas, and fishing villages. Rich in history, it includes the home of the infamous Salem witch trials, centers for the shoe and leather industries, shipbuilding, and
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"Hey Glenn..." begins one of many emails received from President Obama during the 2012 presidential campaign. Once again, Election Day is around the corner. Everywhere we turn, we see the smiling faces of candidates surrounded by their families. We hear their appeals for our votes and pleas to
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The race for the congressional seat in Massachusetts' 6th District on the north shore of Boston is hot enough to boil over. Since Seth Moulton’s upset win in the Democratic Primary over 9-term incumbent John Tierney, three candidates are jostling for endorsements, media coverage, and the support of
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Jim Jenkins, an independent candidate for U.S. Senate in Nebraska, passed a major hurdle recently by qualifying for the ballot in the November election. If successful, he would be the first independent senator from Nebraska in the state's history. Nebraska is a big state. In square miles,
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Ronald Reagan was known for the jar of jellybeans he kept on his desk in the oval office, offering them to dignitaries and other White House visitors. "You can tell a lot about a fellow's character by his way of eating jellybeans," he would say, reading
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Seth Moulton, in a surprising upset, defeated 9-term incumbent John Tierney in the Democratic primary for the U.S. House seat in Massachusetts Congressional District 6. The primary campaign included 5 Democratic contenders in the district north of Boston. Moulton won the primary with 49 percent of the vote, just
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Is a vote for an independent or third-party candidate a wasted vote? Is it fair to accuse a candidate not running with major party backing of being a “spoiler”? Is the potential for vote-splitting a compelling reason to adopt major reforms to our electoral system? These issues have been debated
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Getting on the ballot is a key milestone for any candidate, especially for a congressional seat in a hotly contested race. Chris Stockwell, the independent candidate in Massachusetts' 6th Congressional District, may soon clear this hurdle.Stockwell recently announced that he has submitted more than 3,500 signatures to
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Despite consistently low approval ratings of Congress, candidates outside the Democratic and Republican parties have faced an uphill battle gaining enough exposure and credibility to get elected. Since 1877 (the end of Reconstruction), there have been 111 third party or independent candidates elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
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In an already hotly contested race for the congressional seat in Massachusetts’ sixth district, an independent candidate has just thrown his hat into the ring. Chris Stockwell, an avowed centrist and political outsider, has launched his campaign to run as an independent candidate for the coveted seat in Massachusetts. More
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What does the Bipartisan Policy Center have in common with the Berlin Wall, 9/11, the First Amendment, and the Civil Rights Movement? They all represent major news stories important enough to be featured at The Newseum, one of the top attractions in Washington, D.C. On June 24, 2014,