The New York Times

Many Democrats would have won if turnout had resembled a presidential election year. But Democrats also lost in states where turnout surpassed that of 2010.

The national Democratic party has been out of favor in the South for decades, and now the party has become a toxic brand for local politicians.

There’s another factor at play: two sides of the G.O.P. that may work against each other.

Successful ads are all about connecting with voters, but there is more than one way to do that, as a look at two campaigns makes clear.

It’s not easy for a Republican to become governor of Democratic-leaning Maryland, but here’s how Larry Hogan did it.

Asking voters whom they expect to win yields better predictions than asking whom they intend to vote for.

Deeper ideological divides could make compromise even harder to reach.

The historical record shows intriguing possibilities for pragmatic action if President Obama can put aside his policy priorities.

While increases to the minimum wage are popular among liberal voters, it’s not an issue that fires up the middle-class electorate.

People who were pleased with their new health care coverage remained unhappy with the Democrats who passed it.

Significant expansions of gambling passed in three states, but were rejected in two where in-state interests balked.

There are at least three possible approaches for a president facing a Congress controlled by the opposite party.

Mitch McConnell’s victory was entirely foreseeable. By focusing on Kentucky, Democrats distracted themselves from races where they had better chances.

Lauren Scott is running in a Democratic-leaning Reno-area district, but strong Republican turnout puts her in striking distance.

This campaign featured record expenditures, but it’s also worth paying attention to how that money was spent.

The G.O.P. has a good chance, about 50-50, of not needing runoffs and winning control of the Senate outright tonight.

You have a chance to be the only pundit in the country to correctly predict the race, and to bask in the resulting glory.

But a weak right flank leaves the Democratic path to victory broader than it might be.

A survey finds people using Facebook and Twitter to feel personally connected to candidates, to get information first or to avoid news media spin.

Victories for Republican governors in several states means those states are not likely to expand coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

Researchers find that asking people to explain their choices isn’t always informative.