The Fix - Chris Cillizza's politics blog on washingtonpost.com - November 16, 2008

Rank	Race	Current Party	Change
1	Connecticut	Democrat	Up
2	New Hampshire	Republican	Up
3	Missouri	Republican	Up
4	Kentucky	Republican	Down
5	Pennsylvania	Democrat	Up
6	Ohio	Republican	Down
7	Colorado	Democrat	Down
8	Illinois	Democrat	Up
9	Louisiana	Republican	Up
10	Delaware	Democrat	None

Rank	Race	Current Party	Change
1	LA-02	Republican	None
2	ID-01	Democratic	None
3	DE-AL	Republican	Up
4	NH-01	Democrat	None
5	MD-01	Democrat	Down
6	NY-23	Republican	Up
7	PA-06	Republican	Up
8	AL-02	Democrat	Down
9	MS-01	Democrat	Down
10	CA-44	Republican	None

Rank	Race	Current Party	Change
1	Kansas	Democrat	None
2	R.I.	Republican	None
3	Hawaii	Republican	Up
4	Nevada	Republican	Down
5	Tennessee	Democrat	Up
6	Michigan	Democrat	Up
7	Oklahoma	Democrat	Down
8	Virginia	Democrat	Up
9	Florida	Republican	Down
10	N.J.	Democrat	Up

Rank	Race	Primary	Change
1	Texas Gov.	Republican	Up
2	Pa. Senate	Democrat	Up
3	Calif. Gov.	Republican	None
4	N.Y. Senate	Democrat	Down
5	Fla. Senate	Republican	Up
6	Michigan Gov.	Republican	Up
7	Ky. Senate	Democrat	Up
8	Utah Senate	Republican	Up
9	S.C. Gov.	Republican	Down
10	Kan. Senate	Republican	Down

Fix Pick: Brooks on the Transition

New York Times columnist David Brooks is reassured by the people with whom President-elect Obama has chosen to surround himself. (By Linda Davidson -- The Washington Post) Amid the chaos of Cabinet picks and the whirl of White House...

Clinton To State?

The New York Times is reporting that Hillary Rodham Clinton has decided to accept the offer from President-elect Barack Obama to serve as secretary of State. The Obama transition team is offering no public statement and Clinton Senate spokesman Philippe...

Gaspard to be White House Political Director

Patrick Gaspard, a longtime labor operative, will be the White House political director for President-elect Barack Obama, sources with knowledge of the negotiations confirmed to The Fix. Gaspard served as national political director for much of Obama's general election campaign...

Richardson to Commerce?

Is New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson in line to become Commerce Department chief? (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini) Updated, 1:58 p.m. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has emerged as a "serious contender" to head the Commerce Department under President-elect Barack Obama,...

The Friday Line: Ten Republicans To Watch

The great thing about elections is that as soon as the last one ends, the next one begins. Everywhere the Fix goes these days -- and by everywhere we mean the office, Starbucks and the gym to play basketball --...

Should Barack Obama Go To Georgia?

Democratic Senatorial candidate Jim Martin hugs state Sen. Nan Orrock during a rally on the Capitol steps, Monday, Nov. 3, 2008 in Atlanta. Martin is challenging incumbent Sen. Saxby Chambliss. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) UPDATE, 6:30 pm: Barack Obama has...

A Thousand Words: The Winners

Alaska Republican Sen. Ted Stevens. AP Photo by Gerald Herbert Earlier this week, we asked Fixistas for their best captions to the photo above of Sen. Ted Stevens (R) who, on his 85th birthday Wednesday (Stevens' birthday was Tuesday,...

Dunn Stays Out of White House

Anita Dunn, one of Barack Obama's closest political advisers, is returning to her media consulting practice -- bypassing the chance to serve in the first Democratic White House in nearly a decade. "After the privilege of participating in this historic...

Barack Obama and the Culture of Leaks

Throughout the election cycle President-elect Barack Obama and his campaign remained tight-lipped. These days, it's tougher to keep a secret. (EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images) Throughout President-elect Barack Obama's primary and general election campaigns, his political inner circle took an enormous...

Political Take: Stevens Loses, Lieberman Wins, Clinton at State?

The Fix and Newsweek managing editor Dan Klaidman rapped about the defeat of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), the survival of Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Ct.) as Homeland Security chairman and the "will she or won't she" speculation about Hillary Rodham Clinton...

McCain's Next Step: Re-Election in 2010

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., talks on the phone outside a Republican Caucus on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2008. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) John McCain took a major step toward clarifying his future role in politics earlier this...

1,000 Words

Alaska Republican Sen. Ted Stevens. AP Photo by Gerald Herbert Republican Sen. Ted Stevens, who has been in the Senate since Richard Nixon was first elected president, lost his re-election race last night to Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich (D)....

Why Clinton Can't Decide

Will New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton be the next secretary of State? (Photo by Melina Mara of the Washington Post) UPDATED, 11:30 pm: A Clinton adviser emails with some other thoughts about the seeming indecision by the New...

AK-Senate: Begich Wins

UPDATE, 9:00 pm: Democrat Mark Begich has defeated Sen. Ted Stevens (R) in the Alaska Senate race, according to the Associated Press. With roughly 2,500 overseas ballots still to count, Begich, the mayor of Anchorage, leads by 3,724 votes. "Mark...

Sources: Holder to Be Attorney General

Eric Holder, the man charged with vetting Barack Obama's vice presidential picks, is almost certain to be the attorney general in the Obama Administration, according to knowledgeable Democratic sources. Newsweek's Michael Isikoff first reported the news of Holder's likely selection....

Beau Biden Will Not Accept Senate Appointment

Vice-president elect Joe Biden and his son, Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, embrace at the Democratic National Convention in August. Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden will not accept an appointment to the Senate to replace his father, according to...

The Lieberman Vote: What It Means and Why

Sen. Joe Lieberman, who faces a secret ballot vote from the Democratic caucus today, may get to keep his chairmanship -- a prospect many thought impossible just a week ago. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) UPDATE, 12:30 pm: As expected, Senate...

MN-Senate: The Race That Never Ends

The Minnesota Senate recount could be the story of the election season -- and each candidate has his own way of telling it. The rest of the country may have moved on from the 2008 election but in Minnesota,...

What's Next For McCain?

Once competitors, President-elect Barack Obama and Arizona Sen. John McCain met today in Chicago. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images The meeting today between President-elect Barack Obama and his vanquished Republican rival John McCain is more about symbolism than substance,...

The Fix Weekend Totals

The Fix had quite the weekend. Here's the rundown: 1 -- Broken-down Fixmobile along I-95 South at 11 pm Sunday night. (Good times!) 1 -- Cold caught while standing in torrential rain storm in northern New Jersey Saturday. 2 --...

Transition Trail Mix (Sunday Edition)

UPDATED 12:29 p.m. ET: The Post's Mike Shear and Anne Kornblut are reporting on 44 that Greg Craig will be Obama's White House counsel, according to an individual involved with the transition. ORIGINAL POST It may be Sunday morning but...

The Fix: November 16, 2008 - November 22, 2008