Posted on 04/23/2008 5:29:43 AM PDT by Impy
Democrat Travis W. Childers led the field and just narrowly missed the majority vote he needed for an outright victory in a special election held Tuesday in Mississippi’s 1st District. Childers now moves on to a May 13 runoff with Republican Greg Davis, the mayor of Southaven, in a district that has a conservative lean and usually votes strongly Republican in contests for federal office.
Childers received 49.4 percent, just short of the 50 percent threshold, according to complete but unofficial returns. Davis received 46.3 percent of the vote and trailed Childers by more than 2,000 votes, staving off elimination only by running up a margin of more than 8,000 votes in his home base of DeSoto County. Four other candidates were on the ballot, on which party affiliations were not listed, and they combined to total the remaining 4.3 percent of the vote.
Childers now faces a three-week runoff campaign with an uncertain outcome. But his first-place finish marks the latest startling surprise for the Democratic Party, and the latest setback for a national Republican Party that has struggled to regain its footing since its losses in the 2006 congressional elections overturned its majorities in both the House and the Senate.
(Excerpt) Read more at cqpolitics.com ...
Voter ignorance?
Conservative apathy.
Same thing imo.
“Conservative apathy.”
More like, “Memphis transplants in McMansions”.
Queen Nancy continuing as Speaker with an increased majority is what’s best according to “fiscal and social conservative” hickocrat Travis Childers.
It’s interesting how the Republican Party gives up on its winning formulas. It’s running away from Reagan and the Contract with America, two big political winners. But I guess we shouldn’t be too surprised, since the party did the same thing to Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt.
I keep seeing that reason pop up when Republicans take a hit in formerly safe districts. Frankly, I think that response is just too convenient. What’s really going on is that the Republicans aren’t the party of ideas and conservatism anymore and Democrats are running conservatives in those districts. Still, I’m hoping the Republicans will be able to hold this seat. They’ve got three weeks to get their act together.
“It’s interesting how the Republican Party gives up on its winning formulas.”
Demographics change. That is certainly the case with northern MS over the last few years. Short of putting up a fence to keep those fleeing the hell-hole of Memphis out, I’m not sure what you expect.
“I keep seeing that reason pop up when Republicans take a hit in formerly safe districts. Frankly, I think that response is just too convenient.”
It’s also quite accurate. My parents have lived there for years and I used to live there. I have seen it with my own eyes. Many other here have as well, in other areas.
Conservative Democrat, no such critter!
Davis won the area near Memphis.
That is great news. I was getting a bit down about my old friends.
Dang, that was impressive. I am surprised it went by that margin.
South of Desoto, you start getting into the Delta which is a rural minority Dem stronghold. Check out a county breakdown of the ‘04 election and you’ll see what I mean.
This is why it was NOT a good idea to appoint Roger Wicker to the VACANT LOTT Senate seat. That district is too Democrat by history not to have Wicker there.
MS Ping
What a dumb comment.
Letting the party of Kennedy and Pelosi take the seat is a victory for the left and a defeat for conservatives. Period.
Conservatives who bash Republicans are suicidal morons.
“Demographics change. That is certainly the case with northern MS over the last few years. Short of putting up a fence to keep those fleeing the hell-hole of Memphis out, I’m not sure what you expect.”
It would be helpful that those fleeing Democrat-run hell-holes, whether they be California, Mass. or Memphis, would reconsider their party affiliations when they move. Its Democrat rule that is part of the reason these places are hell-holes. These people are like a virus, spreading the disease into formerly healthy areas.
As it is, one more Democrat in a should-be Republican district is a nail in the coffin for our country. This supposedly ‘prolife’ and ‘conservative’ Democrat will vote to keep Barney Frank, Nancy Pelosi etc. running the country.
“Queen Nancy continuing as Speaker with an increased majority is what’s best according to “fiscal and social conservative” hickocrat Travis Childers.”
Hickocrat - LOL.
So Childers may become a superdelegate if he wins... is he a Hillary superdelegate or an Obama superdelegate?
I’d say it’s more like Republicans forgetting where they come from. Pork, more spending, democrat style corruption, not communicating the Pelosi disasters, etc.
Like the article said, Republicans are running candidates who have abandoned conservative principles and Democrats are running "conservative" candidates, or in other words, Democrats who are more "conservative" than the Republicans. They may not be what we would call a conservative, but they are more conservative than the mush the Republicans are running. We saw this in 2006 and the Republican party whose "leadership" seems to have fewer and fewer conservatives, just didn't learn
I live in the area, and know for a fact that Greg Davis is a real conservative.
You have a great opportunity, then, to support a candidate who is local and a conservative. Good luck!
Would that be the Sammy Davis Jr. Caucus?
LOL! I’m going to use that the next time Cohen comes on the radio.
Well, according to the news, Childers has been endorsed by Obama - if that answers your question.
I, also, live in the district. I can tell you honestly that neither Childers nor Davis are attractive. They both went negative very early (and I mean mud-slinging). And, being more honest than tactful, both of the candidates “look” crooked. I know that is something they can’t help, but it is a fact. Davis won the Republican primary simply b/c he is the mayor of Southaven (one of the most populous and the fastest-growing part of the state). And in a special primary, few “regular joes” are paying attention and even less vote. Davis’s advantage in the Republican primary was simply that Southaven vote - it put him over the top by simple mathematics.
Has Tennessee held their primary election yet?
Cohen slipped by in ‘06 because the black vote splintered and he ended up with a plurality of the vote.
Is there a unified black challenger to Cohen this year?
And are you serious that Cohen is trying to actually gain membership in the Congressional Black Caucus?
If true, I hope they have the common sense to deny him membership.
There will be an election in Baton Rouge on May 3, and the Democrat stands a good chance of taking the seat formerly held by Richard H. Baker (R). Woody Jenkins is the Republican candidate.
Actually Steve got in because there just wasn't anyone else that had any credibility at all, and no so far there is only the Ford boys, not Ford Jr. that makes any noise about running.
And finally, yes, Congressman Cohen tried desperately to become a member of the Black Caucus. He panders to the blacks like crazy. It’s the only way that he can keep his job.
Greg Davis is a good man, and even Hayley Barbour was on our radio live begging folks to come out and vote for him.
While the Democrats are running good-ol-boy, gun-lovin’, church-goin’, tobacky-spittin’ redneck conservatives in the South, the GOP is running mealy-mouthed, limp-wristed, flipboys.
This is really, really bad.
Part of the problem is demographics. This district has always elected Tupelo-area candidates, but the GOP nominee (Greg Davis) hails from the Memphis suburbs, and narrowly defeated a former Tupelo mayor in the runoff. Travis Childers has managed to appeal to those voters.
“Really, really bad” would’ve been an outright Childers victory. Haley needs to get up there and barnstorm with Davis out in the rural areas (obviously, McCullough was the stronger candidate for the rural parts — and this battle is geographical and we need to make it completely ideological). We need to tie Snobama, Pelosi and the pro-terrorist moonbats around Childers’s neck until he chokes on it. It’s not over yet.
Unbelievably, I just googled hickocrat and my post is the only result.
Vote for me I live nearer to you than him!! That is so idiotic.
That is often a serious issue. In this district, you have rural interests not wanting to be overwhelmed by the Memphis suburban interests. Across the border in TN, we have a similar problem in the ludicrously gerrymandered GOP 7th, which stretches from the East Memphis suburbs all the way to the wealthiest precincts in Nashville (designed to corral all Republicans for that 200+ mile stretch in one seat and keep them out of the surrounding 9th, 8th, 6th and 5th districts). The Rep. is from the Nashville suburbs and Memphis is angry that they’re not represented, and so Blackburn is getting a primary challenger that is essentially running bacause of that (we’re not likely to lose the seat, even if it gets brutal, but it does deplete us of funds we could be using for other seats).
People who foul up one area so bad they have to flee it ALWAYS continue the same behavior when they reach their new pristine area. This process is called Californification...
So, you think we will lose this seat?
That’s part of the problem with how congress acts and people view it. They aren’t running for Mayor, they should be concerned with the national interest not farm pork versus urban pork.
Hopefully they’ll circle the wagons and pull it out. It would be supremely embarrassing to lose it.
Oprah’s Obama poised to take MS next? He already has in the primary.
Haley proved here that he was not a good prognosticator. The Wicker seat is too precarious to play with. He should have named someone else to the Senate seat.
Not gonna happen. Snobama makes McGovern look like Ross Barnett.
Still if Wicker had stayed put, this problem would not be there.
I am concerned too about Baton Rouge on May 3. Baton Rouge is full of liberals, many have moved there because of Katrina.
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