About the Crystal Ball

A comprehensive Web site run by the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, Center Director Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball features detailed and frequently updated analyses for a wide spectrum of races from around the country. The Crystal Ball keeps tabs on presidential elections, along with every Senate and gubernatorial race, as well as the tightest campaigns for the House.

The Crystal Ball expanded to its current breadth in preparation for the 2002 midterm elections. In 2003, it tracked the road to the governors' mansions of several states, including the closely watched California recall election. In 2004 the Crystal Ball notched a 99 percent accuracy rate in predicting all races for House, Senate, Governor and each state's Electoral College outcome.

In 2006 the Pew Research Center and the Pew Charitable Trusts' Project for Excellence in Journalism recognized the Crystal Ball as the leader in the field of political predictors, noting that the site "came closer than any other of the top ten potential predictors this cycle."

The Crystal Ball has already kicked into high gear for the already exciting 2008 election season. Keep visiting us for the latest news and analyses in our President, Senate, House, and Governor sections. Users may also subscribe to Crystal Ball e-mail updat es.

Dr. Sabato, the Robert Kent Gooch Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia, founded the Center for Politics in 1998 to inform and motivate our nation's citizens in the political process. As additional aspects of the Crystal Ball, the Center seeks to educate America's students through the CB Classroom, in conjunction with the Youth Leadership Initiative.

The Crystal Ball is a free public service meant to appeal to political junkies and interested voters alike. All content herein may be used by educators, press and others with proper attribution. Contact us with any questions.

Who is the Crystal Ball?

Larry J. Sabato, Director

Rhodes Cook, Senior Columnist

Dan Keyserling, Editor

Isaac Wood, Staff Writer

Paul Wiley, Staff Writer

Brandon Gould, Staff Writer

Crystal Ball Interns, Summer 2008

Thomas Gaunt, Charlotte Persant and Geoff Skelley

Previous Crystal Ball Interns

Anne Harris, Ross Lawrence, Prashanth Parameswaran, Charlotte Persant, Bayless Sword and Matt Zaccarino, Student Staff (Spring '08)

Joseph Baber, S.W. Dawson, Bobby Dressel, Ben Smoot and Ezekiel Tan, Student Staff (Fall '07)

Brandon Gould, Julie Hatchett, Sarah Qureshi and Paul Wiley, Student Staff (Summer '07)

Anne Harris, James Noel III, Michael Rocks, Clare Seekins, Catherine Tobin and Alex Wong, Student Staff (Spring '07)

Alexander Covington, Erin Levin, Meredith Ramsey, Meredith Ramsey, Brenan Richards and Clare Seekins, Student Staff (Fall '06)

Bobby Dressel, Becca McCurdy, Shana McGirl, Evan Pols, Tanya Otsuka, and Jean-Paul Theroux, Student Staff (Summer '06)

Lindsey Barnes III, Margot Bolon, Danny Eaton, Christina Heischmidt, Danielle Holley and Dan Herrmann, Student Staff (Spring '06)

Doug Black, Robin Cook, Brendan Fitzgerald, Jordan Forbes, Berkley Gordon and Anthony LaMesa, Student Staff (Fall '05)

Robin Cook, Ben Doernberg, Anna Payne and Evan Pols, Student Staff (Summer '05)

Berkley Gordon, Dan Keyserling, Jon Pawlow, P.J. Podesta, Sehrish Shaban, Zach Williams and Chris Wrobel, Student Staff (Spring '05)

Abigail Gardner, John Lewis, Yolanda Muchnik, Kathleen Oare, Jon Pawlow, Nathan Royster, Mark Tessier Jr and David Wasserman, Student Staff (Fall '04)

Praise for the Crystal Ball

Fred Barnes, Beltway Boys (Fox News Channel) - "[Larry Sabato's] political website called the Crystal Ball is a must-stop site on the web for all the latest political news and predictions."

Ed Chen, Los Angeles Times - "Sabato's Crystal Ball was an indispensable tool and a delight as well. It added joy and fun to the task of tracking political developments around the country."

Carl Cameron, Fox News - "Indispensable! Like the pen and pad or lap top, Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball is now essential equipment for the traveling political reporter. Whether it's latest developments or historical perspective...nobody "gets i t" better."

Will Vehrs, Punditwatch (punditwatch.blogspot.com) - "Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball was the gold standard for political junkies in 2002. If you wanted to predict the election results on more than jus t gut feelings, you were checking the Crystal Ball every week."

Brit Hume, Special Report with Brit Hume (Fox News Channel) - "How can a political science professor create a website with election analysis and have people take it seriously as a source of political knowledge? The answer: When the professor is Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia, whose Crystal Ball predictions page at the University Center for Politics website has become a must-read for political junkies."

James Cowan, Bastrop, TX - "Larry, I have been an admirer of your commentary for years. I just viewed your website it and it is the best I have seen. You can rest assured that I have bookmarked it and will visit it often."

Ronald Crane, Little Rock, AR - "You are one of the few people out there that I actually believe and have confidence in. The "Crystal Ball" is a wonderful way to impart information on all of the races."

Peter Foster, Richmond, VA - "Although you are obviously right that "He who lives by the crystal ball ends up eating ground glass," I do find your analyses and handicapping to be the most reliable and up-to-date of any I've seen this year."

Jim Toms, W. Frankfort, IL - "I really enjoy your website. I'm a high school English/History teacher as well as a news/politics junkie so you can see where I'm coming from. Thanks again."

Support for the Crystal Ball

The Crystal Ball has received a generous gift from the Grace Jones Richardson Trust, to support its ongoing research and publication.