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The Cook Political Report
| The Cook Political Report | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Washington, D.C. |
| Founder(s): | Charles E. Cook Jr. |
| Year founded: | 1984 |
| Website: | Official website |
| Connections | |
| The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index | |
The Cook Political Report is a Washington, D.C.-based political newsletter founded in 1984. According to its website, the publication provides "independent, non-partisan analysis of elections and campaigns for the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, Governors and President as well as American political trends."[1]
Background
Political analyst Charles E. Cook Jr. founded The Cook Political Report in 1984. Cook said his idea was to create "a non-partisan newsletter that would analyze American political campaigns from the perspective of someone who actually had worked both in campaigns and as a pollster."[1]
The Cook Political Report transitioned to an online-only publication in 2004.[1] Cook stepped down from his leadership position in 2021, with Amy Walter taking over as editor, publisher, owner and manager.[2] The publication was officially renamed Cook Political Report with Amy Walter and Cook remained a contributor.[2]
Leadership
The following individuals held leadership positions with The Cook Political Report as of August 2025:[2]
- Amy Walter, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
- David Wasserman, Senior Editor & Elections Analyst
- Carrie Dann, Managing Editor
- Jessica Taylor, Editor, U.S. Senate and Governors
- Erin Covey, Editor, U.S. House of Representatives
- Matthew Klein, Analyst, U.S. House and Governors
- Kathryn Hamm, Chief Business Officer
- Ally Flinn. Chief Operating Office
- Rebecca Kaufman, Multimedia Director
- Beth Fekade, Coordinator, Client Services
Work and activities
Analysis
The Cook Political Report is delivered to subscribers online and via a digital newsletter that is distributed twice weekly. The publication's data is also available for academic and commercial use.[1]
According to The Cook Political Report's website, subscribers include "journalists, campaign officials, candidates, government affairs professionals, and lobbyists."[1]
Partisan Voter Index
Since 1997, The Cook Political Report has also published the Partisan Voter Index (PVI), a measurement tool that scores each congressional district based on how strongly it leans toward one political party. The PVI is determined by comparing each congressional district's presidential vote to the national presidential election results. According to Cook, the PVI "is an attempt to find an objective measurement of each congressional district that allows comparisons between states and districts, thereby making it relevant in both mid-term and presidential election years."[3]
To review PVI metrics since 2012, click here.
Race ratings
The Cook Political Report analyzes U.S. Senate, U.S. House and gubernatorial races each election cycle and categorizes them based on competitiveness.[4] According to the outlet's website, "the vernacular of races being understood as likely, lean or solid for one party or another were pioneered in CPR’s race ratings charts."[1] The organization will revise the ratings multiple times each election cycle based on its conversations with campaigns, polling data and the national political landscape.[4]
Notable endorsements
This section displays endorsements this organization made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope. Know of one we missed? Click here to let us know.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms The Cook Political Report. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- What is an influencer?
- The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
- U.S. Senate elections
- U.S. House elections
- Gubernatorial elections
- Race rating definitions and methods
External links
- The Cook Political Report homepage
- The Cook Political Report on Facebook
- The Cook Political Report on Twitter
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 The Cook Political Report, "About," accessed August 25, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Cook Political Report, "Team," accessed August 25, 2025
- ↑ The Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Cook Political Report, "CPR Race Ratings," accessed August 25, 2025
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