Terence Samuel is the chief congressional correspondent for U.S.News & World Report.

2004 Columns

Road map to victory: Keep an eye on new voters–in big cities, fancy suburbs, college towns, and panhandle counties. (11/8/04)

Facts on the ground war: In key battleground states, a furious push to get every last voter to the polls. (11/1/04)

The swingers: Why it could all come down to just a few key voters in a few key states (10/18/04) 

Pharmaceutical politics: The Senate ties itself in knots over cheaper drugs from Canada. (10/11/04) 

Mile-high deadlock: Kerry is making a race of it in Colorado. (10/4/04) 

Training the troops, fine-tuning the message: At non-public meetings during the convention in Boston, Democrats hammered out points of emphasis for their campaign speeches. (8/9/04) 

In the house of the believers: In his acceptance speech at the Democratic nominating convention, John Kerry made it clear that his Vietnam experience will play a major role in his presidential campaign. (8/9/04) 

A shining star named Obama: How a most unlikely politician became a darling of the Democrats (8/2/04) 

The new Democrats: Unified, organized, energized, and flush with cash: A different sort of party comes to Boston. (8/2/04) 

That old can-do feeling: Congressional Democrats have been heartened by two recent wins over Republicans. (6/21/04) 

The man with the secrets: His epic run is over, but questions about George Tenet's tenure at the CIA sure aren't. (6/14/04) 

A message for the prez: Sen. Chuck Hagel has some unvarnished advice for George W. Bush. (5/31/04) 

Facing the unknown: Still more violence in Iraq–and lots more questions. (5/3/04) 

Pennsylvania's family feud: Republican moderate Arlen Specter is running for his political life. (4/19/04) 

A TV slugfest, no holds barred: Bush's ad buys batter Kerry, but the challenger has a new weapon. (4/12/04) 

Bracing for a bruising budget battle: Profile of Rep. Jim Nussle as he shepherds the administration's budget through Congress (3/22/04) 

Tied in knots by gay marriage: The politics of Bush's amendment to the culture war are complex for both parties. (3/8/04) 

Those unpredictable indies: Democrats see hopeful signs in some of the early voting patterns. (2/16/04) 

A political prescription: Medicare reform passed last fall–but the fight is far from over. (2/9/04) 

South Carolina: Lots to prove: In South Carolina's Democratic primary, job-loss is a major issue that candidates are expected to address. (2/2/04) 

Spending spree: As the election approaches, fiscal restraint has run out of patrons on Capitol Hill. (1/26/04) 

Is it safe?: New beef rules aim to stop mad cow disease. But they may not be enough–and there's too much we don't know. (1/12/04)