Democrats Pick Up Republican U.S. House Seat, Third Since March - Yahoo! News

Democrats Pick Up Republican U.S. House Seat, Third Since March - Yahoo! News: "Democrats Pick Up Republican U.S. House Seat, Third Since March" Laura Litvan Wed May 14, 12:11 AM ET May 14 (Bloomberg) -- Democrat Travis Childers won a U.S. House election in Mississippi, marking the third time since March that the party has picked up a congressional seat and increasing Republican concerns about major setbacks in the November elections. Childers got 54 percent of the vote to 46 percent for Republican Greg Davis with all precincts reporting in yesterday's race to replace Republican Roger Wicker in northern Mississippi's 1st District. Wicker was appointed to the Senate last year. The Democratic victory extends the party's majority in Congress to 37 seats, with the prospect of more wins this fall. House Democrats hold a more than 6-to-1 cash advantage over Republicans, who have 26 lawmakers retiring. Both parties poured money into the Mississippi race and Vice President Dick Cheney traveled to the state to campaign for Davis. The result sends ``a political thunderbolt across America'' and shows the Democrats can compete everywhere, said Representative Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat who heads the party's House fundraising committee. ``There is no district that is safe for Republican candidates,'' he said in a statement. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich wrote in the newspaper Human Events last week that unless Republicans change they will ``suffer decisive losses this November.'' Momentum Republican Jack Quinn of New York, who served in the U.S. House from 1993 to 2005, said the wins give Democrats more momentum. ``When Republicans lose three special elections in a row, it would seem to predict dark clouds on the horizon,'' Quinn said. Childers's victory is likely to increase tension among Republican lawmakers searching for an effective campaign strategy. After Republicans lost a Louisiana House seat, Republican Leader John Boehner and National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Cole last week created an 11-member advisory panel to coordinate efforts to re-elect Republicans. Yesterday's Mississippi loss, after a major effort by the party to keep the seat, ``should be a concern to all Republicans,'' Cole said in a written statement. ``Republicans must undertake bold efforts to define a forward-looking agenda that offers the kind of positive change voters are looking for,'' he said. In campaign ads, the Republican Party sought to link Childers, chancery clerk for Prentiss County, to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. At a rally May 12 in Southaven, Mississippi, Cheney also tried to nationalize the race. `Decisive Times' ``These are decisive times for America,'' Cheney said. ``And whether the issue is the economy, or energy, or national security, the right answers are coming from Republicans -- not from Nancy Pelosi, or Harry Reid, or the rest of the Democratic leadership in Washington.'' Both parties invested more money in this race than any other special election this year. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spent $1.8 million, while the rival National Republican Congressional Committee spent $1.3 million. With the Mississippi win, Democrats will have a 236-199 majority in the House. The Cook Political Report has forecast that House Democrats will gain as many as 10 seats in November, when all 435 House seats will be on the ballot. In March, Illinois Democrat Bill Foster was elected to replace former Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert, and Democrat Dan Cazayoux won the race May 4 to replace Louisiana Republican Richard Baker, who resigned to take a lobbying job. Burdened by Bush Republicans are burdened by a president with a 69 percent disapproval rating who is overseeing a controversial war and an economy that some analysts say is in a recession. In addition, 26 Republican lawmakers won't seek re-election in November, leaving open seats that are easier for Democrats to win. Four other Republicans also have resigned. By comparison, seven Democrats won't seek re-election in November. The House Democratic campaign committee also has a fundraising advantage, with $44 million cash on hand as of March 31, compared with $7 million for Republicans. The Democratic victories in districts that were once Republican strongholds are unusual because political parties usually are able to defend their seats in special elections, said John Fortier, a congressional scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a public policy research organization in Washington. In the 65 House special elections held since 1991, the other party seized the seat in only 10 cases -- or 15 percent of the time, Fortier said. Greater Risks By contrast, in November elections for open seats there are greater risks for the incumbent party, he said. Of 344 so-called ``open-seat'' races since 1991, the seat switched parties in 104 instances, or 30 percent of the races, he said. The northern Mississippi House district had been reliably Republican since Wicker won the seat in 1994. Wicker won House re-election six times with at least 63 percent of the vote, and the district gave President George W. Bush 62 percent of its vote in 2004. Last year, Wicker was appointed to the Senate to replace Republican Trent Lott, who resigned to become a lobbyist. Childers will serve out Wicker's term and will likely face Davis, who served as mayor of Southaven, again in November. To contact the reporters on this story: Laura Litvan in Washington at llitvan@bloomberg.net