Mississippi Win Gives House Dems Three Victories In A Row

JACKSON, Miss. — It's becoming a disturbing trend for Republicans: losing traditional GOP strongholds to Democrats in some hard-fought congressional races.

It happened again Tuesday, as Travis Childers beat Greg Davis in a special election to replace Republican Roger Wicker, who served in the House since 1994 and was appointed to the U.S. Senate to fill the seat vacated by Trent Lott.

Childers' win will give him the chance over the next several months left in the seat's two-year term to build a fundraising and publicity advantage as he heads into November's general election. He will again face Davis, as well as two other opponents.

Childers' win gave Democrats a 236-199 edge over Republicans in Congress.

Earlier this year, Democrats captured the Illinois district long represented by former Republican Speaker Dennis Hastert, who resigned from Congress. This month, Democrats claimed a seat in Louisiana that Republican Rep. Richard Baker vacated and that the GOP had held since 1974.

Childers is a socially conservative county official, while Davis is mayor of a fast-growing city across the state line from Memphis, Tenn.

Vice President Dick Cheney campaigned for Davis the day before the special election, and Davis ran ads trying to tie Childers to Barack Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and the national Democratic Party's policies.

Childers stressed his independence, emphasizing his support of gun rights and opposition to abortion. He said his values match those of most voters in the deeply conservative district.

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Tom Cole, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, said the Mississippi race showed that "Republicans must be prepared to campaign against Democrat challengers who are running as conservatives, even as they try to join a liberal Democrat majority."

Cole said voters are "pessimistic about the direction of the country and the Republican Party in general" and the GOP must offer "positive change."

Marty Wiseman, a political scientist at Mississippi State University, said if Democrats can carry districts that traditionally have been safe bets for the GOP, "Republican strategists have to be terrified."

"If you think about the House and the Senate ... and the number of Republican Senate seats that are exposed, this could turn into something bigger than the presidential race this fall," Wiseman said.

Elsewhere, in right-leaning Nebraska, Republican Mike Johanns, the former U.S. agriculture secretary and Nebraska governor, easily won the Republican primary Tuesday in a race to replace retiring Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel. On the Democrat side, Scott Kleeb beat three other Democrats.

And in West Virginia, a conflict-of-interest scandal derailed the state's top judge from serving another term. With 97 percent of precincts reporting, Chief Justice Elliott "Spike" Maynard, once considered a shoo-in for re-election, was third in a field of four candidates.

The two top vote-getters will face the lone Republican in the race for two high court spots in November.

Maynard lost his advantage when photos surfaced in January of him vacationing with the chief executive of a massive coal producer. He faced a former justice, a Huntington lawyer and a West Virginia University law professor.

Maynard raised the most money, and his allies included the state's chamber of commerce and medical association. But the photos taken during a 2006 Monaco vacation, when he met up with Massey Energy Co.'s chief executive, quickly became campaign fodder.

Maynard blamed the furor on political foes, but withdrew from several Massey-related cases. He had said he would do the same if re-elected.

West Virginia Sen. Jay Rockefeller, who hasn't lost a statewide race since 1972, easily beat two challengers as he seeks a fifth six-year term. He'll face Republican Jay Wolfe in November's general election.

Gov. Joe Manchin easily fended off a primary challenge and will take on Republican Russ Weeks, a former state senator, in November.

___ Associated Press Writers Lawrence Messina and Tom Breen in Charleston W.Va. and Anna Jo Bratton in Omaha, Neb. contributed to this report.

Comments

[jelly450]

I don't understand what the fuss is about, so Obama can't when with the uneducated and ignorant. I am just speaking about the woman in WV not the entire WV population. Have any of you ever tried to explain anything to someone who refuses to listen to the facts? She would’ve been more at home if she had put her fingers in her ears and said "I can't hear you, not listening”. You can't get though to people like that, they even bought the gas tax thing and voted for Edwards. Hilary’s win had a lot of components that probably won't be found in such high quantities in other states, i.e.: they won't vote for a Black, they believe he is a Muslim, they believe what his preacher said, (which is at odds with the fact they believe he is a Muslim), they think Bill will actually be the real President, and for the most part they are old and thankfully dying out.

[LawSource]

THE GOP IS A BUNCH OF HATEFUL FEAR MONGERING NOISE MACHINE!!

SO FAR THEY RUN NEGATIVE ADS, WITH OBAMA and Rev. Wright, in 3 HOUSE SEATS in PREDOMINANTLY Republican Districts and Republicans still Lost!!

In Mississippi EVEN DICK Chaney came out and Campaign for the Republican candidate and HE LOST TO THE DEMOCRAT by 8 POINTS!!

EVEN REPUBLICANS are REJECTING THE GOPs!!!

THE RIGHTING IS ON THE WALL FOR all YOU GOP "MOTHERSUCKERS"!!

YOUR Party WILL BE "SOUP" Come November!!

[GingerB]

Congratulations, Rep. Childers, and THANK YOU, Mississippi!!!

[kanobi11]

Honestly I truly don't think the South is as racist as we speak of them. What I think though is that some of our politicians are the ones that are racist. Most people down south want to move on, but our politicians keep fanning this beast, by talking about it, using it against one another, etc and then blame it on the people -

[LawSource]

YOU GOT THAT RIGHT!!

WE ARE FROM THE DEEP SOUTH ( Florida) and WE ARE READY FOR CHANGE!!

WE LOVE SEN. OBAMA!!

JOHN McBUSH, McSAME and the GOP WILL BE "SOUP" In NOVEMBER!!

SOUTH FLORIDA Will Stand Up For Obama, ONLY!!

[marymansour]

I always said the south was less prejudice than those blue collar hillbillys in other parts of the country. By the way, naysayers, that vote in MS was for Obama - not Hillary. Listen up super delegates.

[Economike]

Hillbillies rule

[LawSource]

YES SIR, We Here in the "South" IS NOT RACIST and as divided as our pundits and politics suggest!!

WE ARE NOT LIKE "some" Blue Collar Haters and RACE BAITERS in Ohio, Pennsylvania and HELL NO Not Like KKK HQ West Virginia!!

IN FACT WE ARE READY FOR CHANGE!!!

WE IN THE SOUTH WILL STAND UP FOR OBAMA IN RECORD NUMBERS!!

[TedB]

Having a majority in Congress is one thing; ACTUALLY USING IT is another story altogether.

[neoconsareliars]

Another one bites the dust. Just 6 more months to sweep the neopigs out completely from any control of America. Then we can end the dark ages and start with a shiny new USA.

[Marrob]

Yeah, and to think you Obama Lovers thought Hillary staying in the race would hurt the Democratic party "Down Ticket". Whatever!!!

[flatus]

Looks like Republicans are running as Democrats now.

[thegreatgiginthesky]

The huffpo commenting system seems to be getting stupider by the second. A tree structure that will only go 3 comments deep before cutting off the ability to reply to a message. Brilliant idea guys!!

[Jason357]

"Vice President Dick Cheney campaigned for Davis the day before the special election"

Houston, I think we've found the cause for that problem.

[Economike]

At least he didn't take him hunting.

[Hoelder]

If so called secure Republican seats are falling then the whole redistricting efforts of one Tom Delay seem to have failed. Republicans have a strong tendency to be arrogant. The counter theory that moderate Republicans get the boot because the Republican party moves to the right, needs to be re-examined. The red state map certainly is re-drawn, in spite of attempts to redraw the map by redistricting. This is not a victory we need to gloat about. This is the result of 6 years of Republican abuse.

[cobraxus]

like it or not the GOP is in a tight position.they cannot risk alienating the far-right which has become the backbone(not to mention purse strings)of the Republican Party but they desperately need to reach more moderates and independants.the odd thing is they had someone who could do that:George W.Bush.in 2000 and 2004 GWB was(in perfect strawman fashion)able to appear as whatever people wanted him to be.a far-right christian fundementalist.a political moderate willing to work with democrats.even a fairminded independant.of course he was none of those things he simply appeared to be them and people bought into it.it was the equivalant of a simple magic trick that once done cannot be successfully repeated to the same audience.

[sheaftosser]

I'm laughing so hard I think I peed my pants....

[Donnat]

This guy's a DINO, he'll go back to being a Republican when the winds of fortune change. At any rate, it's gotta sting the GOP.