Nation Topics - Electoral Politics | The Nation

Key primary races in Maryland, Rhode Island and even New York are
making the Iraq War what it should be in every 2006 political contest:
the central issue.

As the Democratic Party embraces Ned Lamont, it must also embrace
his antiwar message: It proved a winning strategy for Connecticut, and
will be for the midterm elections.

The Lamont/Lieberman Democratic primary race is a referendum not only on the Iraq War but on a new vision for the Democratic Party.

Two Republican primaries in the Deep South expose potentially serious cracks in the party's religious-right foundation.

In the ultimate swing district of the ultimate swing state, Patricia
Madrid is trying to unseat New Mexico Representative "Leather" Heather
Wilson. Is her Mountain State liberalism potent enough to win?

The failure of a complaisant, Republican-controlled Congress to enact
meaningful changes to the Patriot Act means that midterm elections are
the only true path to reform.

Eight months ahead of the 2006 midterm vote, Democrats are either ignoring Iraq or supporting the war while criticizing Bush's prosecution of it. But it's not too late to mount a strong opposition.

Pete McCloskey, the first Republican member of Congress to call for Nixon's impeachment and withdrawal from Vietnam, has resurfaced at 78 to challenge Richard Pombo and the Iraq War.

With persistence and strong convictions, insurgents can change a political party. Galvanized by the war and disgusted with weak-spined party leaders, rank-and-file Democrats may at last be ready to bite back.

The Iraq debate will be a central issue of the 2006 Congressional elections, and there is reason to believe antiwar candidates will prevail. The first step in that process is to encourage support for such candidates.