Rand Paul was supposed to be a different kind of Republican -- a Republican who championed individual liberty, but who also did not wade into the culture wars or any war for that matter. He was supposed to be the Republican who could pull in younger and perhaps even more liberal voters frustrated by the lack of progress on civil issues.

The term "skills gap" is a common one in discussions about America's economic forecast. The notion is that job opportunities for skilled laborers exist, but that not enough laborers have the correct skills to fill the positions.

Oftentimes, talk of a skills gap crops up in reference to vocational jobs -- those requiring "middle skills," which can range from manufacturing jobs to some health care positions.

U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove) formally announced her candidacy to replace outgoing U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D) on Thursday.

When it comes to campaigning in the era of social media, lighting can strike the same place (or more importantly, in the same faux pas manner) an infinite number of times. It seems like a candidate's public relations staff can put out an unlimited amount of "political" sounding rhetoric that is in reality only 140 characters of utter nonsense.

What the pundits and election watchers in traditional media didn't tell you about the 2014 general election was that it was the least competitive election season in 30 years. That's according to a new analysis authored by Professor Carl Klarner and published on Ballotpedia, which examines the number of competitive state legislative elections since 1972. An election that is won by 5 percentage points or less is considered competitive by their analysis.

Hog Country

In 1993, when Elsie Herring returned to the property that her grandfather – a former slave – purchased back in 1891, she discovered she had a rather odorous neighbor. In the 1980s, a hog farmer set up an operation on an adjacent property, complete with two barns, a lagoon (a man-made pond for pig waste), and a spray field.

"I mean, it's evident that I'm irrelevant to society; that's what you're telling me, penitentiary would only hire me, " roars Kendrick Lamar, a rapper from Compton, who was the recipient of the Generational Icon Award in the California State Senate.

The Washington Post recently shared the story of Joseph Rivers, an aspiring businessman with dreams of hitting the big time. He set out for Hollywood with $16,000 in life savings, hoping to start his own music video company -- his shot at the American Dream. However, he never made it.

Painting your opponent as an indecisive flip-flopper has long been a successful strategy in presidential politics. From George H.W. Bush's famous ship-sinking statement, "Read my lips, no new taxes," to Mitt Romney's flip-flops on abortion, gay rights, and socialized medicine -- flip-flopping has never been a desirable trait with voters.

Throughout the United States, there are numerous special elections held to fill vacant seats in local, state, and federal offices. Recently, while discussing the District of Columbia Ward 4 and Ward 8 special election results, a friend remarked that she was unaware there was an election in the district. While most Americans have the second Tuesday after the first Monday in November ingrained in their brains as Election Day, the dates for special elections are set by local/regional boards of elections and can vary greatly.