Q&A: Bart Gordon
The incoming chair of the House Committee on Science sets out his stall.
US election: Showdown for Capitol Hill
Can science influence politics in the forthcoming US elections? Nature investigates how Democrats and Republicans are striving to win the hearts of voters.Mid-term squallThe stakes are high for November's mid-term congressional elections: the Democrats need to gain just six seats in the Senate and fifteen in the House to claim majorities. For President George W. Bush, it could mean the difference between a reinvigorated presidency or an unproductive lame-duck period. In a hard-fought election, both parties are occasionally and uncharacteristically turning to science to try to sway voters. The recent presidential veto against embryonic stem-cell research has provided fodder for Republicans and Democrats alike to try to distinguish their candidates. And candidates in three states are challenging incumbents largely on scientific issues — climate change, stem cells and (California, inevitably) on clean energy. A News Feature special this week looks at how scientific issues are playing in the campaign.
US energy bill pushes research but fails to cut consumption
Critics slam policy as compromise rather than strategy.