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

[nellie]

Wooooooo hoo!

Rout in November. Rout in November. Rout in November.

Maybe we can finally get this country back on track.

[BillyT]

Maybe the GOP will learn now after they LOST, 3-OUT-OF-3, when they thought Obama would be a good negative campaign subject.

[cmaff05]

Childers is a wolf in sheep's clothing, but it is better to have a conservative democrat in the House than a Republican. At least with a conservative Democrat you know they are going to be right once in a while. Can't say the same thing about a Republican.

[bdd]

This not really a "victory". He's a conservative. The DEMs need more PROGRESSIVES for real change.

[VolvoBirkenstock]

Considering he won in Mississippi, it is a HUGE victory.

Bit early in the evolutionary process to expect a progressive to win in Mississippi.

[InformedAmerican]

It is possible. The people of Mississippi want a change, too! African Americans are 37% of the population here but, most African Americans were not engaged until recently. There are also a lot of White people here who are tired of the Repubs, also and get this....TH­EY DON'T LIKE HILLARY CLINTON EITHER! So, it is highly possible!

[SethBullock]

Hey--it's a still a victory when a republican loses. Even if the winner wouldn't be our progressive of choice!

[nellie]

Definitely. At least we can have a conversation.

[Trace8089]

Progressive or liberals can't win in the South. The best you can hope for is a yellow dog.

[WoodyCPM]

THIS was the most important election in the country today. THIS is the hand writing on the wall for the Republicans. IT'S OVER! YOU'RE TOAST!

[JeremyO]

I can't wait to see the look on all those racist fools when the president of the US is Obama. "Ah, I think he's a Muslim," that's retard code for I'm a dumb bigot who won't vote for the Black candidate. But I guess you'll have to get over that won't you? It's hard to be racist when the most powerful and respected man in the world is Black.

[FogBelter]

Thank you Howard Dean for the 50 State Strategy!!!!

[AxelDC]

Amen to that! The Clinton-Kerry strategy of 10 swing states would never have won back Congress or gotten a Democrat elected Governor of Kansas. Now Obama is competitive in Montana, Texas, Virginia, Nebraska, North Carolina, Indiana, Alaska, and North Dakota. Dole is in trouble in North Carolina and Cornyn in Texas.

There are 50 states in the US, and Democrats need to fight in every last one. Even in Mississippi it can pay off, where Democrats now hold 3 of 4 House seats.

[drkazmd65]

Not to nit-pick,.­.. but Gov. Sebelius in KS won her first term back before Dean started his 50-State strategy. Clinton & Kerry had sh*t to do with her winning in KS either.

The winds have been shifting in KS for several years now - and the wing-nut religious right don't have quite the sway they did a few years back out there.

That shift has been happening, quietly, in a lot of places too. Dean's big leap as leader of the DNC was to queitly fan the flames where they were already smoldering.

[bison2]

I agree. Howard Dean's 50 state strategy has freed the Democratic Party from pandering to the same swing states. Indeed, it has put many states into play.

[TocinoHumano]

Good bye, Republicans. Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.

[TakeSake]

Actually, that would only add to the situation. On second thought, it would be too bad for the door.

[anthonylee]

JohnKemp . . . . Repubs are getting housed!!!!!!!!

You might want to stop trolling around this site and pay more attention to your candidates running for re-election . . . . it's looking like a terrible year for the "elephant" in the room!?!

[KarenKaren]

Where's Noucant? This is what I told you would be the news today. Newt and Rove will try to downplay. No use. We know what this loss means to you, starting with Foster, then Cazayoux, and now Childers.

GO BLUE!

[paganmist]

So much for the claim that Obama will negatively affect down-ticket races.

The Dems have got this one sealed!

We will win the white house!

The power of the veto will flow forth into the hands of the Democrats.

(Assuming half of us aren't dumbasses and screw it up because we're whiny little babies.)

[WoodyCPM]

VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! Get your asses to the polls in November and VOTE!

[Trace8089]

Childers ran away from Obama. Childers said, he didn't know Obama, had never met him, didn't know Obama had endorsed him and had the same answers about Pelosi. He played the good ole boy card. I'm a real Mississippian not an interloper from Memphis. For all the loony left on hear don't cheer Childers victory. He is a yellow dog democrat that will vote against progressive bills if it's in his interest to distance himself from the national party just like Gene Taylor (Who is a better Republican than most even though he claims to be a democrat.)

[SethBullock]

I have met Taylor and he seems ok to me.

[swooge]

That would be blue dog dem. Yellow dogs vote part line.

[qdog112]

HE WON! The Repugs spent lots of money attaching him to Barack. That is a great victory by any measure. They spent nearly $2 million in MS. Of course he didn't do a McCain/Bush man hug, a win there is looking great for us down the line.

I expect panic with an "every man for himself" strategy to begin. Now it's all about self preservation. THE BRAND is BROKE.

[paganmist]

Thanks for that information! :)

Unfortunately, the issue at hand is whether or not association with Barack Obama will be a detriment to down-ticket Democrats.

I don't care if they denounce and reject him as the day is long, that's at least two Dems who withstood being associated with Obama and Rev. Wright, and at least two votes in which people showed that they really don't care about smear-tactics.

That's really all I want for now.

The rest can come later.

[leftypower]

Perhaps the Republicans should funnel some money to Reverend Wright to encourage him to speak more, dishonestly sidestepping a discussion of his issues.

Or will they be successful at branding Michelle Obama as an "America Hater"?

Because, after all, liberal is the new black. And, Obama, being both (and a "Muslim" with a very scary Christian Reverend), has a huge target on his back.

If only they'd turn on the firehoses this time.

I hear that works in American history, Mississippi is in play this year, and this white man is ready and willing to get wet.

[VolvoBirkenstock]

That no longer works, either:

"This poll -- like the last ABC News/Washington Post survey -- finds no apparent damage to Obama in the controversy over his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Six in 10 Americans, and 73 percent of Democrats, say Obama has done "the right amount" to distance himself from Wright, rather than too little or too much."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/13/mccains-age-again-seen-as_n_101442.html

[VolvoBirkenstock]

This is the big story of the night.

First Hastert's seat in Illinois, the special election in Louisiana and now this.

[enyapjeff]

The Tsunami is coming, the Dems are going to kick those stupid Bu$h supporting idiots out of office.

[leftypower]

Perhaps the Republicans should funnel some money to Reverend Wright to encourage him to speak more, dishonestly sidestepping a discussion of his issues.

Or will they be successful at branding Michelle Obama as an "America Hater"?

Because, after all, liberal is the new black. And, Obama, being both (and a "Muslim" with a "very scary Christian Reverend", has a huge target on his back.

If only they'd turn on the firehoses this time.

I hear that works in American history, Mississippi is in play this year, and this white man in America is ready to get wet.