Mississippi Democrat Takes Longtime GOP House Seat

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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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Don Caj-u (phonetically) won a LA seat last week with the same bull that was pulled on Childers. The GOP put out some nasty ads about Obama, Wright, and Pelosi. That district had been Republican since the 70's.

Posted by: Rita | May 14, 2008 12:39:33 PM

The GOP should be worried. I know many ex-GOP supporters, like myself who are disgusted with the GOP leadership on many issues. Thinking its about gas prices and middle class tax cuts is ridiculos and shows the GOP leadership's ignorance of the issues.

The GOP is not offering hope or a vision of America for the future. They are running scared, much like a paranoid Nixon rather than a Reagan. They think scaring people on social issues, immigration and people's preachers are going to bring voters their way.

A good number of the voters were born after Reagan and my large margins do not idendify with the party.

Even among the GOP, McCain's independent streak struck a chord with voters and they nominated him over the traditional GOP base candidates. They should heed the cries of the voters and think about the real issues facing voters in this country.

They have milked the war on terror long enough and need to focus on the future and the American dream. Obama has figured that out in his messaging. Clinton and the GOP have not.

Posted by: scott jeffries | May 14, 2008 4:43:28 PM

JOHN MCCAIN EQUALS WORLD WAR III

Posted by: LOU ALLAN | May 14, 2008 4:43:49 PM

Look at the following list of today’s headlines. Do you really want
to vote for John McCain and have all this disaster continue? That’s what
you’ll get if you vote Republican. Just look at these headlines. Can
people be that braindead that they’d continue to vote Republican? Look
at this:_____
Consumer Prices Up 0.2%, Led by Food___
Food prices jumped 0.9 percent___.
Foreclosures Surge 65 Percent in April___.
High Oil Prices Spell Disaster for Airlines___.
Freddie Mac Loses $151M as Loans Falter___.
Personal Stories of Pain at the Pump___.
Oil Prices Soar on Iran Concerns ___.
Retail Sales Drop for 2nd Time in 3 Months

Posted by: hageehoggie | May 14, 2008 4:54:53 PM

America is changing and Republicans are stuck in a time warp...

They need to be put on the endangered species list.

Posted by: nerakami | May 14, 2008 4:57:31 PM

The stupid RNC is still hounding members for donations using scare tactics about tax and spend Democrats. I told the caller he was not getting a nickel as long as McCain was supporting amnesty for illegal aliens and against drilling for our own oil. I had just filled my tank and it cost $85.00 and I was pissed. The politicians (especially Dems)need to hear more from pissed off voters about $4.00 a gallon gas before it gets to $6.00 and the GOP needs to get a clue on the issues.

Posted by: Bill | May 14, 2008 5:13:23 PM

"Attention Republicans"you should have worked with the Democrats, in bringing our Soldiers home from Iraq!

Posted by: Demoe Rules | May 14, 2008 8:12:52 PM

Must have been the Cheney visit and all the "gates" that it opened.

Posted by: Nelly | May 14, 2008 8:36:20 PM

I hope Bush and Cheney campaign for every GOP candidate including McCain. These two spell doom for any GOP candidate!

Posted by: AJ | May 15, 2008 10:14:18 AM

Yeah and Childers had to significantly increase his advertising to distance himself from Obama as a result. http://noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/05/14/coattails-rural-districts/
Hope other candidates are prepared to do the same during their elections.

Posted by: ObamaNOT | May 15, 2008 1:30:05 PM

Don't look back, run from every republican you know this november and let us see a tsunami of an election that will punish the republicans in the house, senate, 1600 Penn.,and every lie and mistake they have made for 40 years...or you will turn into a pillar of salt in a cowfield...CASE CLOSED...NEXT!!!!!

Posted by: daddyblue | May 15, 2008 6:51:28 PM

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