Despite his lack of an education and impoverished early life Andrew Johnson eventually developed a knack for political debate which led him to Senate and House of Representatives before serving as the Governor of Tennessee and ultimately the President of the United States. Johnson gained early notoriety when in 1862 at the beginning of the Civil War he was the only Southern member of Congress not to quit his post in Washington and instead opposed the secession.

The swing state Missouri has been coveted for more than a century, but this election seems to be ignoring the home of the big arch, Enterprise Rent-a-Car and the blues. But its tenure as a swing state may be coming to a close.

Angus King, former independent governor of Maine in 1994 and 1998 is running for senate as an independent in November. King has gotten a lot of media atention so far, what other independent governors are we overlooking?

Illinois Maine Minnesota Oregon Rhode Island and Texas have all had formally elected independent governors.

In 1974, Illinois elected its first two governors, Shadrach Bond and Edward Coles, both independents.

Besides Angus King, Maine elected independent James B Longley in 1974.

A Tea Party win sent shockwaves to Texans yesterday as Lt Gov. David Dewhurst lost to Tea Party candidate Ted Cruz in the republican primary runoff.  In Texas, to win the primary a candidate must win 50% plus one percent of the vote.

August 1^st marks a big day for women under the Affordable Care Act as multiple provisions go into effect, including free birth control. Eight new preventative services go into effect for new health insurance plans at no additional cost.

The eight services are:

It is commonplace in our politics today to view the decision between a Democrat and a Republican is nothing more than a forced choice between competing evils. It can be difficult, however, to find data that might provide us with greater insight into the prevalence of the lesser of two evils mentality among the American voting public.