Ken Rudin

With record-low approval ratings, Republican congressional representatives are scrambling to get ahead in the polls. With only three weeks to go before midterm elections, everyone is asking whether the GOP can hold on to either house of Congress.

The Democrats have a chance at winning control of the Senate. They need six more seats to take control. There are just enough vulnerable Republican seats to make a Democratic takeover possible. But Republicans are counting on using their organizational strength to counter the rising Democratic tide.

Liberal Rhode Island Sen. Lincoln Chafee defeats a challenge from conservative Steve Laffey in the Republican primary in a closely watched Senate races. In New York, Sen. Hillary Clinton trounces antiwar rival Jonathan Tasini, who unsuccessfully tried to replicate the David v. Goliath scenario in Connecticut.

Several states will hold primary elections Tuesday ahead of the general election in November. Madeleine Brand and Alex Chadwick discuss the most interesting contests with NPR political editor Ken Rudin.

The sequence of events that followed an FBI search of Rep. William Jefferson's (D-LA) offices on Capitol Hill is nothing short of surreal. Instead of using the incident to suggest that corruption cuts across parties, the GOP has denounced the raid as a violation of the separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches.

Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) is just the latest in a long line of national politicians to be accused of accepting cash bribes. Steve Inskeep talks to Ken Rudin, political editor at NPR, about the history of corruption among elected officials.

Farai Chideya talks with NPR political editor Ken Rudin for his political analysis of the upcoming mayoral runoff election in New Orleans. The race pits current Mayor Ray Nagin against Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist uses home court advantage to catch an early lead in the race to the White House; plus a look at Sen. Russell Feingold's stalled attempt to censure the president; and a preview of the Senate race in Florida. NPR's Ken Rudin, aka the Political Junkie, analyses the latest political news.

The prospects of Judge Samuel Alito winning confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court will probably rest with a group of senators known as the Gang of 14. Political Editor Ken Rudin looks at the group of seven Republican and seven Democratic senators who forged a Senate deal on judicial filibusters.

For a column that often revels in the politics of the past, it's the time of year to look at the people who left us and assess the impact they made.