Rhodes Cook Letter

"The Rhodes Cook Letter" tracks election results for president, Congress and the nation's governorships - in terms of primaries, general elections, and even special elections when they occur. But each issue goes beyond the basics to provide a distinctive analysis of the American political scene - with texts, maps and a variety of other colorful graphics that seek to put current elections into a broader historical context.

The 2008 election was one of the most distinctive and historic in American history. There were record voter turnouts for both the presidential primaries and the general election, culminating with the expansion of Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress as well as the election of the first African-American president in the nation's history.

Since then, "The Rhodes Cook Letter" has sought to analyze the current political scene from a number of different angles. Topics have ranged from a unique look at last fall's voting through the prism of the nation's counties to a glimpse at the nation's highly engaged and at times, agitated, electorate.

Looking ahead, "The Rhodes Cook Letter" will increasingly shift its focus to the next big round of voting, the midterm elections of 2010, all the while noting evolving trends and historical comparisons.

The newsletter is published on a bimonthly basis, with each issue tending to run between 15 and 25 pages.