For political junkies, this is a pretty killer app from The New York Times and statistical guru Nate Silver, who has brought the algorithmic magic of his fivethirtyeight.com website to the Gray Lady. Several maps are available for viewing, showing every U.S. House, Senate and Governor race shaded based upon whether polls and voting history suggest it is Solid Republican (dark red), Leaning Republican (light red), Tossup (yellow), Leaning Democrat (light blue) or Solid Democrat (dark blue).
There are a total of 35 yellow "tossups" listed and you can't help but notice that, depending on the day, three of the tossups surround Memphis: Arkansas 1 (Democrat Chad Causey vs. Republican Rick Crawford), Mississippi 1 (Republican Alan Nunnelee vs. incumbent Democrat Travis Childers) and Tennessee 8 (Republican Stephen Fincher vs. Democrat Roy Herron). You'll be hearing and reading a lot about those races, since they are crucial to whether the Republicans can gain the majority of House seats.
Nowhere else on the map can you find three close races in such close proximity; indeed, the three districts, all of which border the Mississippi River and in fact are contiguous, could theoretically form one state (one very economically distressed state, but still). Call it Tenn-ark-issippi? Tarkissippi?
There are a total of 35 yellow "tossups" listed and you can't help but notice that, depending on the day, three of the tossups surround Memphis: Arkansas 1 (Democrat Chad Causey vs. Republican Rick Crawford), Mississippi 1 (Republican Alan Nunnelee vs. incumbent Democrat Travis Childers) and Tennessee 8 (Republican Stephen Fincher vs. Democrat Roy Herron). You'll be hearing and reading a lot about those races, since they are crucial to whether the Republicans can gain the majority of House seats.
Nowhere else on the map can you find three close races in such close proximity; indeed, the three districts, all of which border the Mississippi River and in fact are contiguous, could theoretically form one state (one very economically distressed state, but still). Call it Tenn-ark-issippi? Tarkissippi?
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