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For six Democratic senators in rough fights for re-election in Trump states, the coming vote on Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation will be a career-defining moment that cuts both ways. Roll Call political analyst Nathan Gonzales and his Inside Elections colleague Leah Askarinam explain the dynamics of each campaign.  

For decades, passing a farm bill was about building a bipartisan coalition of urban Democrats (focused on food stamp benefits) and rural Republicans (focused on agriculture subsidies.) CQ reporter Ellyn Ferguson explains how that formula is breaking down, how it may yet be revived and why every voter has a stake in the debate.

Republicans would love to avoid shutdown drama before the midterm but a tight timetable stands in the way. CQ’s appropriations reporter Kellie Mejdrich explains why the budgetary salvage vehicle is called a “minibus” and why it just might work.

Democrats have a handful of opportunities to takeover House seats in California, but the abundance of candidates and state's top two primary system are complicating the party's efforts in a critical state for the majority. Roll Call elections analyst Nathan Gonzales and Roll Call political reporter Bridget Bowman look back at when the system was installed and ahead to the June 5 primaries and how Democrats are trying to avoid an electoral catastrophe.  

Those entranced by a royal wedding may delight in dynastic aspects of American politics. Election as “family business” has been a Hill staple since the start, and 2018 will continue the tradition. Roll Call managing editor Jason Dick explains how half a dozen families (topped by the Pences of Indiana) want a seat in Congress to remain part of the family trousseau.

The House is in search of a new chaplain, after Speaker Paul D. Ryan fired the incumbent with minimal rationalization. Roll Call’s Lindsey McPherson explains why this has annoyed so many lawmakers, and not just fellow Catholics of the ousted priest — and what’s behind their need for a full time pastor.    

Senators on both sides are pushing to rewrite the law authorizing military force, untouched for 16 years. Even after the Syria strikes the debate is likely to fade fast, White House correspondent John Bennett explains, part of a complex modern war-making power dynamic that favors presidents over Congress.  

The midterm elections are still seven months away but both parties are already reserving television ad time for the fall. Even though more voters are moving toward non-traditional ways of watching shows and movies, broadcast television ads are still king in campaigns. In this week’s Decoder, Roll Call elections analyst Nathan Gonzales, sitting in for David Hawkings, talks with Republican strategist Paul Winn of Advertising Analytics about the logistics and strategy behind ad reservations.

With President Donald Trump’s mediocre job ratings, Democrats’ advantage on the national generic ballot and success in special elections in Pennsylvania, Alabama and elsewhere, there’s plenty of talk about a political wave. In this week's Decoder, Roll Call Elections Analyst Nathan Gonzales sits in for David Hawkings and talks to Roll Call columnist Stuart Rothenberg about how many seats Democrats need to win to qualify as a "wave," how upset races materialize in a wave, and how some individual Republicans might survive.      

Each year since 1990 Roll Call has made some attempt to measure the wealth of members on Capitol Hill. In this week’s Decoder, host David Hawkings talks to Wealth of Congress project editor George LeVines about attempting a massive data project when all the figures are vague and imperfect — and why it's so important to forge ahead anyway. Check out the interactive project here: http://www.rollcall.com/wealth-of-congress

The state’s Democratic congressional roster could grow by half a dozen, a huge boost for the party’s bid to take back the House this fall, thanks to new district lines drawn by the state’s highest court. Roll Call political reporter Bridget Bowman explains the party’s boosted targets for opportunity now that one of the nation’s most partisan gerrymandered maps has been re-colored in purple.

Courts are weighing in as never before whether gerrymandering can be too political. If red and blue can no longer constitutionally dominate the mapmakers’ work, what are they to do? As Roll Call election analyst Nathan Gonzales explains, it’s highly difficult to draw districts that are at once competitive, compact and fair to minority voters. And the 2018 primaries are about to get started.​

The end of filibusters, changes in other Hill customs and subcontracting nominations to conservative groups – all have combined to make Senate judicial confirmations much more about “consent” than “advice,” CQ legal affairs reporter Todd Ruger explains.

The amounts of money are enormous, the congressional system is complex and the politics of spending have broken down yet again. How better to debut the Roll Call Decoder podcast than with CQ appropriations reporter Kellie Mejdrich untangling the fiscal meltdown.