Republican Panic in Mississippi
Before tonight’s only important results were in:With the election results in:Consider what’s going on tonight in Mississippi’s First Congressional District.… In normal times, this kind of musical chairs would be a slam dunk for the GOP; in normal times, Republican candidate Greg Davis would win this special election in a yawn. After all, [Senator Roger] Wicker won his seat seven straight times, with never less than 63 percent of the vote. President Bush carried this Mississippi district four years ago with 62 percent of the vote. The district has been a safe Republican seat ever since the heady days of the Newt Gingrich conservative revolution.
And yet, the GOP has felt compelled to treat even this race as if it was a four-alarm fire. [Retired Senator Trent] Lott and Wicker and Mike Huckabee have all been flooding the zone. So has Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, Barbour’s lieutenant governor, senior Mississippi senator Thad Cochran, and even Dick Cheney (this is presumably one of the few congressional districts in America where Cheney actually might be an asset). Meanwhile, back in Washington, the GOP’s cash-strapped House campaign committee has felt compelled to spend in excess of $1.3 million on direct mail and TV ads, just to prop up Davis.
This is the third straight special election GOPers have lost this year
As Chris said in his email with these results, “John Kerry could win this fall.” I hope the Dems don’t find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory - jaws that seem very powerful right now.
