So now it has come to this. A near riot at Donald Trump’s Chicago rally on Friday evening may be a harbinger of things to come, not just at campaign events but in Cleveland for the Republican convention. The city’s leaders were wise to order extra riot gear recently. Whether...

The voters of Iowa and New Hampshire jealously guard their first-in-the-nation franchise in the presidential nomination process, and they view themselves as the public’s screening committees for White House wannabes. You can call them spoiled and indulgent -- they insist the candidates should visit them again and again, while singing...

Jan. 1, 1960: If Democrats nominate the very young, Catholic John F. Kennedy, they will throw the election away. 1964: President Lyndon B. Johnson, a “Southern conservative,” could be opposed by a Northern liberal in the primaries. 1968: LBJ’s got a tough fight, but he’s the favorite for reelection. 1972:...

The Donald Trump Show continues to dominate the airwaves and the polls, and the other candidates seem mere apprentices by comparison. The billionaire’s appeal is very disproportionately tilted to the blue-collar half of the Republican electorate -- many are the old Reagan Democrats who have long since defected from the...

Every Republican debate appears consequential because of the large number of candidates, the changing cast of characters on stage, and the clashes among controversial colorful contenders on hot-button topics. The same cannot be said on the Democratic side. There just isn’t much drama left in the Democrats’ search for a...

The UVA Center for Politics’ latest documentary, Ball of Confusion, has begun airing on PBS stations across the nation this week. Check your local listings to see when it’s playing in your area, and click on the image below to watch the trailer. The documentary recounts the three-way presidential contest...

Take a deep breath. It won’t help you understand what’s happening in the contest for the presidency, but it won’t hurt either. By contrast, many media analyses of the state of the race have reached the breathless level. Supposedly, there’s never been anyone like Donald Trump on the political scene....

U.Va. Center for Politics Director Larry J. Sabato is a regular contributor to Politico Magazine, and this week we offer a snippet and link to his two most recent pieces for the publication. The first article, which appeared in Politico Magazine on July 16, 2015, offers a more inclusive Republican...

We all know what Donald Trump is saying and the issues he’s emphasizing. Many have noted the strong reactions of the media, pundits, and his business associates, some of whom have cut ties. Now the most recent surveys show Trump in the double digits among Republicans nationally. Two new polls...

U.Va. Center for Politics Director Larry J. Sabato is contributing a regular column to Politico Magazine. This week, he explores how scandals haven’t often been top-tier issues in presidential general elections, something to keep in mind in light of the recent focus on Hillary Clinton’s e-mails. A version of this...

U.Va. Center for Politics Director Larry J. Sabato is contributing a regular column to Politico Magazine. This week, he discusses the history of campaign slogans and what past examples could teach 2016 contenders. This article originally appeared in Politico Magazine on Jan. 19, 2015. After the column appeared Monday, we...

Shades of 2012! The previous Republican ticket just reappeared from the mists of the past to issue pronouncements about 2016. The ex-VP nominee, Rep. Paul Ryan, said the expected: He isn’t running. The Crystal Ball was so sure of his non-candidacy that we didn’t even include him anywhere in our...

Well, that didn’t last long! By that, we mean our pre-Christmas ordering of the GOP presidential field. We shouldn’t be surprised. Politics never takes a long holiday break anymore. First prize for early maneuvering goes to Jeb Bush. His unexpected, all-but-in announcement on Dec. 16 stunned his competitors and the...