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Mississippi Democrat Takes Longtime GOP House Seat
May 13, 2008 11:08 PM
ABC News' Karen Travers reports: In what has historically been one of the safest Republican congressional districts in the country, Democrat Travis Childers won the Mississippi special election tonight, beating Republican Greg Davis. The Associated Press called the race for Childers and with 87 percent of the vote in, he held a 51-49 lead.
Childers’ win is significant for the Democrats, because it is the third Congressional seat they have picked up from the Republicans in special elections this year. Combined with these recent wins in Republican districts, Childers' success tonight could foreshadow the Democrats’ ability in November to build on its majority in the House and compete in districts that in the past have been considered solid Republican turf.
On March 8, Democrat Bill Foster won the special election in Illinois for retiring House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s seat, and Democrat Don Cazayouz won the special election on May 3 for the Louisiana seat vacated by Republican Richard Baker.
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) chairman Chris Van Hollen said Childers’ win “sent a political thunderbolt across America tonight.”
“It is yet another rejection of the House Republican agenda, the Bush administration’s misguided policies, and John McCain’s campaign for a third Bush term,” Van Hollen said in a paper statement.
"We are disappointed in tonight’s election results. Though the NRCC, RNC and Mississippi Republicans made a major effort to retain this seat, we came up short," said Rep. Tom Cole, chair of the National Republican Congressional Campaign.
The Mississippi race featured Democrat Childers, a courthouse official from Prentiss County, against Republican Davis, the mayor of Southaven, a fast-growing suburb of Memphis, Tenn.
The two have been battling for months for the seat formerly held by Roger Wicker, who was elevated to Senator when Trent Lott stepped down. In the first voting day in April, featuring several other candidates, Childers fell 410 votes short of winning a majority over Davis, prompting today’s election.
Childers will hold the seat for the remainder of the term and then he and Davis will face off again in the November election for the congressional seat.
Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District is solidly Republican. Wicker held this congressional seat for 13 years and President Bush won this district with 62 percent of the vote in 2004.
Both parties have been pouring money into the district for this race. The National Republican Congressional Committee spent $1.27 million and the conservative group Freedom’s Watch spent $460,000. The DCCC spent $1.84 million on Childers’ behalf.
Republican Party officials was so concerned about losing this seat that they sent in the heavy hitters in the final days of campaigning -- Vice President Cheney held a rally with Davis on Monday night and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and Sen. Wicker campaigned with Davis. President Bush, first lady Laura Bush and Sen. John McCain all recorded automated phone calls on Davis’ behalf.
In his remarks on Monday, Cheney tied Childers to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: “What we need in Washington is a strong conservative congressman from Mississippi -- not another Democrat going to bat for Nancy Pelosi.”
Davis tried to tie Childers to Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, running an ad highlighting Obama’s endorsement of Childers. The same ad criticized Childers for not denouncing the controversial comments made by Obama’s former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Childers denied that Obama had endorsed his candicacy and tried to separate himself from the Democratic presidential hopeful.
Once he is sworn in as a member of Congress, Childers will become a superdelegate. He has not indicated whether he supports either Obama or Sen. Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination.
May 13, 2008 in Veepstakes | Permalink | User Comments (31)
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This is no Yawn! Imagine a Repub winning by 8% in Cambridge, Mass.
The GOP "probably didn't turn out" only because so few people now identify as Republicans, even in Mississippi.
Good-bye, Iraq war. Hello, President Obama.
Posted by: Al | May 13, 2008 11:48:09 PM
Looks like Mississippi can vote for democrats, but when they do they want them to still be conservative! Doesn't bode well for Obama in November. Hellloooo President McCain!
Posted by: Jo | May 13, 2008 11:57:47 PM
Anybody that still votes Republican after eight years of Bush Jr's disastrous incompetence and the endless scandals and slime of the Republican Party (those "family values" like molesting boys, soliciting gay sex, stealing money, selling votes to arms dealers etc etc etc) must REALLY HATE AMERICA. Even the people of Mississippi are puking when they hear the word "Republican".
Posted by: wilder5121 | May 14, 2008 12:12:30 AM
Fair points on him really being a conservative and all that, but can I step back for a second--upwards of $4 million dollars on a single House seat? And it only buys the next 6 months, until you have to do it all over again? Even for bragging rights, whatever side you take, you have to consider that insane! I'm not someone who pays all that much attention to campaign finance laws--I'm usually focused elsewhere. But this does seem a little out of control. I just worry that my party is spending my money to elect someone who will not be a reliable party voter. I'm all for inclusiveness--I don't think people with pro-gun or anti-abortion ideas should be excluded from the party. But there comes a point where I wonder if it really all is just about bragging rights. (Sorry--Lieberman retaining his chairmanships has really gotten under my skin.)
Posted by: CJ | May 14, 2008 1:30:57 AM
Again, yawn.
They run again in November.
Posted by: Jo | May 14, 2008 1:46:11 AM
Obama organized the greatest political movement this country has ever experienced, and that is just the beginning. BTW, the Wall Street Journal reported that Clinton received a 20 million donation toward his library from the muslims. And if we were to wipe out the 70 million people of Iran, first of all the oil would stop, the stock market would crash, and the Arabs would buy it all up for pennies. The arguments just don't wash.
HILLARY 2008!
Posted by: AMERICAN | May 14, 2008 1:53:50 AM
Jo:....forget it...the GOP aren't going to gain back anything...George Bush has seen to that...his stench will hang in the air for a long time to come.
Posted by: Alpha | May 14, 2008 2:42:37 AM
Republicans are learning the hard way that people in the United States want good responsible government. Not slogans, not flag pins, not corruption, not lies, not filibusters, not Karl Rove’s divide and conquer political tactics, but good government. If the GOP wants to govern like children then vote the Bums out! I am happy to see that the US electorate is finally seeing the GOP as the party that produces rotten government.
Until the GOP grows up and start to act and vote on issues in a mature manner the GOP one and all should and need to be voted out of office.
Posted by: Dave | May 14, 2008 5:44:24 AM
AMERICA WE LOVE YOU BUT!
WHAT IS AMERICAN DEMOCRACY? CONFUSION & PROTECTIONISM. WHEN WILL EACH AND EVERY VOTE OF EVERY CITIZEN COUNTS? WHEN WILL THE MAJORITY COUNT?
Travis Childer, congratulations, the democrats should not loose one seat to the GOP - economy, war, deficit ++++.
What and how will this resolve the DEMOCRATIC PROCESS of nominating a presidential candidate for the DEMOCRATS?
We may control both houses, without a democratic process - the world is watching - how are we going to sell DEMOCRACY, true DEMOCRACY? Sincerely, Lake Hart, a Native American Writer.
Posted by: Lake Hart - A Native American Writer | May 14, 2008 8:15:52 AM
Obama won't win the south and yes it is the white vote he is about twenty years before his time.
Posted by: Bishop | May 14, 2008 9:25:28 AM
IT cost 1.8 million for a seat for six months.
Posted by: Bishop | May 14, 2008 9:26:55 AM
Ok, I am from this district, so I have a few points.
1. Childers, the democrat who won, is more conservative than McCain.
2. Davis,-R, ran one of the dirtiest local campaigns I have ever seen.
3. This was the 4th election for this position in 2 months, primary then runoff, election then runoff.
4. I didn't vote and I don't really care, the good news is, both of them will finally shut up.
5. Btw, District 1 is basically the suburbs of Memphis, TN so everyone acting like this is deep rural south needs to do some research
Posted by: russ | May 14, 2008 9:35:54 AM
In November we're going to see a Dem tsunami that is going to sweep away the disastrous Bush GOP era for good.
Posted by: hopesprings52 | May 14, 2008 9:45:31 AM
HA! and it cost the GOP 1.8 million to get SQUAT for 6 months...
Posted by: RobSoLF | May 14, 2008 9:46:20 AM
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) chairman Chris Van Hollen said Childers’ win “sent a political thunderbolt across America tonight."
I hate to rain on Van Hollen's parade but a "political thunderbolt" would be defined as a landslide victory. If the Democrat only won by 51-49, that's not much of a landslide... or a "thunderbolt".
Posted by: ivan126 | May 14, 2008 10:05:01 AM
Actually ivan, the final result was 54-46% for Childers. That's not a nailbiter, it's an easy win. Get your facts straight.
The 51-49 margin was earlier in the night. An 8 point win in an ultra conservative district IS a thunderbolt.
Posted by: CCZ | May 14, 2008 11:36:42 AM
clearly a loss for republicans, but the flat-earthers will deny this as insignificant... they'll have some excuse in november when mcbush loses by a landslide
Posted by: earthisnotflat | May 14, 2008 12:06:12 PM
Here it comes. Every Republican to be voted for the House or Senate WILL be tied to President Bush. And everytime John McCain will we be placed as the middleman. Thank you GOP for your negative adds which did not work trying to tie Obama to Rev. Wright to the Dem candidate. You have provided the Dems with the perfect method of blowing out the GOP cronies in the fall.
Posted by: Radmanaustin | May 14, 2008 12:08:02 PM
Hopefully this new representative won't be another suckup to Nancy Pelosi.
Posted by: KOOBLAKHAN | May 14, 2008 12:16:51 PM
The only reason that Democrats are winning on a local level in Mississippi is because of Bush's slow and incompetent response to Katrina. It has little to do with Obama winning in Mississippi during the primary. He did that due to over 90% of the black vote. This democrat won inspite of Obama and as a conservative Democrat has tried to distance himself from the Obama camp.
Posted by: ibfay | May 14, 2008 12:26:56 PM
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