WSIU InFocus Video Player

Charlie Cook, the editor and publisher of the influential Cook Political Report, and David Yepsen, Director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, offer expert analysis to date of the 2012 race for the White House and other political contests this fall. Cook believes the lengthy and combative race for the Republican Presidential nomination will eventually end with former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney leading his party's ticket in the November contests with incumbent Democrat Barack Obama. The challenge for President Obama, he says, will be whether the President can mobilize enough of those who voted for him during his successful 2008 campaign to line up behind him once again. Cook and Yepsen also weigh in on the battle for control on Capitol Hill where Republicans currently hold the majority in the House while Democrats maintain a narrow majority in the Senate. Both men expect the battle for the Twelfth U.S. House District seat in Southern Illinois to be one of the most closely watched Congressional contests in the country. Hosted by WSIU-TV's Jak Tichenor.