If you are looking for information about an election after 2003, we recommend using our search function to search for a candidate or district. From there, you can filter the search results by year or tag. For content published before 2003, please filter through our library of full-length CPR issues. You can also find these by typing an election-cycle year into the search bar.
40 years of the right analysis for getting it right.
The Cook Political Report has a 40-year history of providing political professionals with the right analysis to help them invest political capital with confidence.
Charlie Cook founded The Cook Political Report in the spring of 1984 with a vision of a nonpartisan newsletter to analyze campaigns, elections and political trends in the United States. Cook pioneered the now-ubiquitous 7-point race rating scale (Solid D or R, Likely D or R, Lean D or R, Toss Up). A recent review of CPR Race Ratings, surveying 1984 through 2022, revealed an impressive record of accuracy: Lean ratings were correct 95% of the time; Likely ratings, 97%; and Solid ratings, 99.9%.
In August 2021, Amy Walter took the helm as owner, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief.
Charlie Cook founded The Cook Political Report in the spring of 1984 with a vision of a nonpartisan newsletter to analyze campaigns, elections and political trends in the United States. Cook pioneered the now-ubiquitous 7-point race rating scale (Solid D or R, Likely D or R, Lean D or R, Toss Up). A recent review of CPR Race Ratings, surveying 1984 through 2022, revealed an impressive record of accuracy: Lean ratings were correct 95% of the time; Likely ratings, 97%; and Solid ratings, 99.9%.
In August 2021, Amy Walter took the helm as owner, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief.
FAQ
Historical versions of the CPR Race Ratings are only available to Monthly or Annual Insider subscribers.
After logging in, subscribers can use the first dropdown menu above the ratings chart to select a year, followed by the the second dropdown menu to select the specific archived summary.
Archived CPR Race Ratings, used for academic purposes, can be accessed via the API. Please get in touch with us to learn more. Subscribers can request the Cook PVI data in spreadsheet format here.
The archive is nearly complete. The search is still on for one issue from 1984, two issues from 1986, and one from 1996, in order to round out our collection Think you might have one of the missing issues in your archives? Let us know!
Please contact us here.
Learn more about The Cook Political Report.
Notes on the archived ratings:
- The House race ratings in VT-AL from 1992-2004 were variously rated "Solid Independent," "Likely Independent," and "Lean Independent." On our charts, they are displayed as "Solid Democrat," "Likely Democrat," and "Lean Democrat." During these years, Rep. Bernie Sanders ran against Democratic and Republican candidates in the general elections.
- We are working to address a bug in our archived House Race Ratings that displays all Cook PVIs to match the current 2023 numbers. Please consult our historical Cook PVI values page for the accurate PVIs starting from 1997.
- The summary at the top of every archived Governor Race Ratings chart reflects the partisan split of governors in 2024, not the archived date.
- There is a gap in our gubernatorial race ratings for the 1988 and 1989 cycles.
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Our subscribers have first access to individual race pages for each House, Senate and Governors race, which will include race ratings (each race is rated on a seven-point scale) and a narrative analysis pertaining to that race.