NJ Shout Out and a Few Other Comments

Rep. Mike Ferguson's (R-N.J.) district is exactly the kind of problem I write about in my book. He, along with Democrat Rush Holt, was in a swing district before the most recent round of redistricting. Then the two parties teamed up to protect all of their incumbents in 2002, even though it meant slicing up both congressional seats. (Holt himself complained to me about this, saying that it makes no sense that he has constituents on one side of the street and not the other.) Ferguson technically has a race this year, but I was just up in New Jersey and Democrats there think he'll win handily. Part of this may stem from a lack of strong recruiting by Democrats, but part stems from the makeup of the district.

One reader asked about how many lawmakers come from corporate backgrounds. A number of them do, but law ranks as the dominant profession in the House. Other professional backgrounds include funeral director, dentist, florist, taxi driver, riverboat captain and my personal favorite, toll booth collector (that's New York Democrat Maurice Hinchey).