James Pindell

Capitol Beat, an association of Capitol Reporters and Editors, gave out awards over the weekend for the bets of statehouse reporting in 2008.  The Star-Ledger won honors in three categories: In the Single Report category, first place went to Susan Livio and Mary Jo Patterson for their story on “Problems Beset Program for Troubled Kids”  Patterson, the wife of former Star-Ledger political reporter David Wald (now the spokesman for Attorney General Anne Milgram) has taken the newspaper buyout, while Livio will remain at the Star-Ledger.

Dunstan McNichol and John Martin won second place honors in he In-Depth Reporting category with their story “Waiting in pain” McNichol and Martin have both accepted buyouts. Joe Donohue, who is leaving the Star-Ledger to join the Gov. Jon Corzine's administration, won an Honrable Mention in the Beat Reporting category.

Read More >

With just four days left in the 2008 campaign, Republican Leonard Lance is poised to eke out an upset victory against Democrati Linda Stender, according to James Pindell, the editor of Politicker.com's The Pindell Report, which offers independent analysis of federal- and state-level races.  Pindell today moved New Jersey's 7th district seat from Leans Democratic to Leans Republican.

Pindell says that the decision of Democrats to dispatch their highest profile surrogate, former President Bill Clinton, to campaign for Stender is not something a campaign does when its ahead going into the final hours of a race.  PolitickerNJ.com reported this week that the Stender campaign has an internal poll showing her trailing Lance by four points.

"How did we get to this point?," Pindell asked.  "After a year of national Democrats and aligned organizations dumping millions of dollars behind Stender, the Democrat missed when she spent part of the last stretch of the campaign talking about abortion. If there is anything we learned from this cycle, it’s that social issues didn’t matter much. Other Democrats across the country gained traction by focusing on the economy. Should Stender indeed fall short, it would be a disappointing end to a race that Democrats had invested heavily in."

Read More >

Democrats will pick up congressional seats of retiring Reps. Jim Saxton and Mike Ferguson as part of a national trend that will net them seven U.S. Senate seats and sixteen House seats national, according to James Pindell, the editor of Politicker.com's Pindell Report, which provides independent analysis of federal and state races.

Pindell says that Democrat Frank Lautenberg will win re-election to the U.S. Senate and that Barack Obama will carry New Jersey and win its fifteen electoral votes.

"In two Republican-leaning districts, Democrats John Adler and Linda Stender are going to Congress," said Pindell. "Democrats have momentum and they're winning just about all of the marginal races."

The Pindell Report has the Senate at 58-41, and the House at 252-180.  The Senate races in Alaska, and House races in Florida, New Mexico and Kansas, remain toss-ups.

"The economy, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush combine to push Senate and House races that were toss-ups last week into the Democratic column," said Pindell.   "While the Democrats will control the White House and both houses of Congress, they won't get the 60 Senate seats they need for a filibuster-proof majority." Read More >

The Pindell Report, an independent analysis of state and federal races edited by Politicker.com's James W. Pindell, today upgraded the 3rd district House race from “Likely Democratic” to “Leans Democratic,” and said that the contest in the 7th district has become more competitive.

The ranking corresponds with more optimistic national prospects for Republicans, with presidential candidate John McCain surging in the two weeks since the Republican National Convention began.  In New Jersey, recent polls put McCain within three points of Barack Obama. 

“These are two longtime Republican seats.  Democrats haven't won the 3rd since 1882 and the 7th since 1956.  Republicans are getting over heated primaries, while Democrats had cleared the field for John Adler and Linda Stender,” said Pindell.  “While the Democrats have much more money, internal polls show this race to be getting a little closer.  If John McCain is getting the base behind him as polls suggest then Lance and Myers might have a shot after all.”

Read More >

Politicker.com Managing Editor James Pindell has launched The Pindell Report, ranks and analyzes all U.S. Senate races and governors races, the top 59 U.S. House races, and 19 presidential swing states – with updates the moment news breaks. The report heavily leans on the basis of two dozen reporters in fifteen key states where Politicker.com currently has locally devoted political news websites. In New Jersey, Pindell says the U.S. Senate race is Likely Democratic, as is the race for Republican Jim Saxton’s open House seat in District 3. Pindell says the contest to replace Republican Mike Ferguson in District 7 is Leans Democratic.

Read More >

Read More >

The Boston Globe’s New Hampshire political reporter leaves to lead Politicker.com’s growing national online political reporting team

James PindellThe Observer Media Group today announced that it has hired James Pindell of The Boston Globe to serve as National Managing Editor of Politicker.com. The Politicker.com portfolio currently includes eight state political websites across the country including New Jersey, Nevada, Maine, Oregon, Maryland, Arizona, Vermont and Colorado. Politcker.com - dubbed as "Inside Politics for Political Insiders" - will add four additional websites by February 1st including Washington, Kentucky and New Hampshire.

Read More >