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LONDON - Britain's Conservative Party won a special election that was viewed as a barometer of Labour Party leader Gordon Brown's popularity, according to vote results Friday. Tory candidate Edward Timpson handily defeated his left-wing competitor Tamsin Dunwoody to take the parliamentary seat of Crewe and Nantwich in northwestern England, beating her 20,539 votes to 12,679. The loss in a Labour stronghold could help to erode Brown's authority and embolden his critics within the party. The party had held the district since 1983. Brown is struggling to recover from devastating Labour Party setbacks in local elections earlier this month and...

State Representative Don Cazayoux defeated a former state legislator in Louisiana's Sixth Congressional District last night, marking the second time in two months that Democrats have won a special election seat previously held by Republicans. Cazayoux took 49% of the vote to newspaper publisher and longtime political hand Woody Jenkins' 46%. Cazayoux won Baton Rouge, the southern and western suburbs and most of West Feliciana and St. Helena Parishes, as well as the precincts surrounding Lake Pontchartrain. Jenkins took more traditionally Republican territory south and east of the city, as well as most of Livingston Parish. The two candidates split...

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sidestepped the superdelegate controversy as she opened the California Democratic Party convention tonight in San Jose, instead taking aim at likely Republican presidential nominee, John McCain. Pelosi noted that McCain campaigned alongside Governor Schwarzenegger during the polarizing special election the governor called in 2005. Schwarzenegger tried to pass ballot measures aimed at weakening the power of public employee unions, changing teacher tenure rules and clamping down on state spending. Californians rejected those reforms and she predicted they'd reject McCain as well. The gathering at the San Jose Convention Center continues through...

FOR REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS - 14TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT (Vote for 1) Votes % of Votes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jim Oberweis 4332 52.86% Bill Foster 3798 46.35%

Andre Carson, the grandson of the late Rep. Julia Carson (D-Ind.), will face Republican state Rep. Jon Elrod in a March special election to fill the remainder of the term. The six-term congresswoman died last December after a bout with lung cancer. Andre Carson, a newly elected Indianapolis city councilor, won the Democratic nomination on the first ballot at a Saturday caucus among district-wide precinct committee chairmen. He easily outdistanced his leading rivals, state Reps. David Orentlicher, Carolene Mays and Marion County Treasurer Peter Rodman. But he’ll face a serious fight for the seat against Elrod, who overwhelmingly won the...

Gov. Haley Barbour said he'll have 60 days from Monday to call a special election to fill Sen. Roger Wicker's vacated House seat. The candidates will have another 60 days to campaign before the election. Southaven Mayor Greg Davis said he filed papers Monday to run for the seat Wicker has vacated. He served in the state House of Representatives before becoming mayor of Southaven. "I've been wanting to get back to the legislative arena and this seems like a good opportunity," Davis said. Former Tupelo Mayor Glenn McCullough, also a member of the GOP, has also been named as...

Napoleon resident John F. “Jack” Green is 78 years old and runs about three miles every morning. He also is running for Congress in the 5th District special election as a write-in candidate. “I’m running because I can’t lose. I can only win,” Green said. “How can you lose something you never had?” While Green’s name will not be on the ballot, the names of State Rep. Bob Latta, R-Bowling Green, and Democrat Robin Weirauch of Napoleon will be. Green said he ran for the same congressional seat six or eight years ago, when no Democrat candidate was running. Green,...

At a raucous convention that drew more than 1,000 delegates to Caroline County, Wittman won the nod after trailing most of the night. His victory came at the expense of Paul Jost, the James City County businessman and anti-tax activist who built a solid lead in early voting and packed the hall with five busloads of supporters. "I think folks just caught on to our message," said Wittman shortly after accepting the nomination. "We're just getting back to the basics of good government." Wittman, 48, now becomes the favorite in the Dec. 11 special election called to replace Davis, who...

The Ohio Elections Commission unanimously slapped congressional candidate Bob Latta with a reprimand after ruling today that his congressional campaign knowingly or recklessly lied about opponent Steve Buehrer’s positions in political flyers. Even the Latta campaign’s attorney, Scott Pullins, admitted statements that Mr. Buehrer “opposed’’ prayer in public schools and “didn’t want’’ the Ten Commandments posted were “misleading,’’ a “cheap shot,’’ and a “political low blow.’’ But he argued unsuccessfully that the false statements did not rise to the level of a violation of Ohio election law. Mr. Latta and Mr. Buehrer are campaigning for the GOP nomination for the...

Tonight we could see a Republican elected to Congress from Massachusetts. Rob Willington, the executive director of the Massachusetts Republican Party is covering Election Day from the inside... Check it out and be the first to find out what's happening in this historic election!

The death of Rep. Jo Ann Davis has left a large field of potential candidates to serve the remainder of her two-year term in the House. But out of respect for Mrs. Davis, both parties say the contest should not take shape until after her funeral this week. "It really hurts, it really does," Mike Wade, 3rd Congressional Republican District chairman, said yesterday. "No matter who replaces her, I don't know if anyone can fill her shoes right off the bat. ...I hope everyone shows the respect and dignity to Jo Ann Davis that she deserves, by sitting tight and...

Local Republicans and others got an opportunity to meet and chat with two candidates seeking office: Jim Ogonowski, candidate for U.S. House of Representatives and Jeff Beatty, candidate for U.S. Senate. Ogonowski is running for the seat previously held by Martin Meehan. Beatty will be running against John Kerry. State Sen. Bruce Tarr from Gloucester was also in attendance. Paul Avella introduced Ogonowski to the crowd. After a standing ovation, Ogonowski spoke about his roots in the Merrimack Valley. He explained that his family came to America from Poland. “I want to be clear, I am for immigration, but I...

Have you given to Jim Ogonowski yet? The Democrats are worried about this seat, and they should be. To be sure, Ogonowski is not the pure through and through conservative I'd like. But frankly guys, we can't expect that in places like Massachusetts if we want to get back in the majority. Sometimes, in some places, we have to accept that there are people to the left of us who still vote "R." I'm not saying I'd back Ogonowski if he were in Georgia or Texas or Missouri or even out in CA-04 where the incumbent Republican is to the...

It's just one week after the primary, and the race for the 5th Congressional District is shaping up to be a close one. Here are the results of our exclusive Fast Track: If the election were held today, Democrat Niki Tsongas would pick up 51 percent of the vote, to 41 percent for Republican Jim Ogonowski. Get complete survey results here. Elections are all about the public mood, what's really on the minds of voters, and which candidate connects with that most effectively. And while our survey gives the antiwar candidate the lead, it offers big-time hope for the anti-Congress...

RedState endorsed Jim Whitehead went down in flames in Georgia last night. His opponent, Dr. Paul Broun, will head to Washington. Whitehead was heavily backed by the establishment Republicans and Dr. Paul Broun, to put it mildly, is the Kossacks' worst nightmare - military pro-gun, fundamentalist evangelical, hard core states rights, and anti-budget. He said he'd carry a pocket Constitution with him and use the Bible to measure matters on which he'd vote. Going into the runoff, Whitehead had such a strong lead, in historic Georgia terms, he had over an 88% chance of winning the runoff. The congressional district...

With 54% of the precincts in, Paul Broun is at 54.5% and Jim Whitehead is at 45.5% Broun has really been able to pull in votes in Clarke County and Oconee County. [UPDATE:] We might just be calling this race for Paul Broun. Athens has stomped Jim Whitehead. Did they not even try there? With 68% in, we’re at 54.9% to 45.1%. A lot of crow will be eaten if Broun wins.

CASPER, WY -- Wyoming Republican Party Chairman Fred Parady reports that as of 5 p.m. June 14 the following have submitted applications for Wyoming’s vacant U.S. Senate seat. The list is unofficial at this point as the Wyoming Republican Party is in the process of verifying each applicant's elegibility. John Barrasso Casper, WY Tom Sansonetti Cheyenne, WY Larry J. French Powell, WY Ron Micheli Ft. Bridger, WY Frank Moore Douglas, WY Bill Paddleford Jackson, WY David R. Edwards Douglas, WY John A. Holtz Laramie, WY Colin M. Simpson Cody, WY Thom Rankin Casper, WY J. Randall Stevenson Wheatland, WY Clark...

The congressional campaign of Air Force Lieutenant Colonel James Ogonowski, whose brother was the pilot of one of the jets flown into the World Trade Center in the Sept. 11 attacks, got a boost yesterday when two fellow Republicans announced they won't run and will support him.

Lawrence Mayor Michael Sullivan is forming a campaign exploratory committee - his most serious step yet as he considers a run to succeed Congressman Martin Meehan. Sullivan, a Republican, said the committee includes his brother, Kevin Sullivan, a former mayor of Lawrence and one-time state transportation and finance secretary in Republican administrations. The two-term mayor said he would decide by the end of this month if he will run for the House of Representatives. "There are a lot of personal things to consider," said Sullivan, who has two teenaged daughters. "The whole lifestyle change, traveling from Washington back to Lawrence."...

The jockeying has already started to succeed U.S. Rep. Charles Norwood, who died Tuesday after a battle with cancer. At least one Republican state lawmaker has thrown his hat in the race, and political experts say there's a good chance the northeast Georgia district will likely remain in GOP hands. ''This is a very Republican district,'' said Charles Bullock, a political science professor at the University of Georgia in Athens, which is in the congressional district. ''Realistically, I don't see a Democrat having too much of a chance.'' Whatever way the race goes it won't have any impact on control...

There is much discussion about moving, again, the California primary for President to an "early" date in February to make California a stronger player. You've also been hearing about the "need" to extend term limits and the true need to redistrict legislative seats using a fair method of drawing district lines for reapportionment. Although they are unrelated, they get tied together in numerous conversations amongst legislators and to the press. Tying all these issues together as is being done here is manipulative and wrong. This effort is really all about extending terms for legislators. Having torpedoed Prop 77's method of...

With just two full days of campaigning left before Tuesday's primary, two GOP candidates for Ohio's 2nd Congressional district spent the day working hard for votes. Congressman Jean Schmidt and her challenger, former Congressman Bob McEWen were on the campaign trail Saturday. Both candidates say they are confident going into Election Day on Tuesday. But both also admit it's not their opinions that count -- it's the voters'. As Bob McEwen pounded the sidewalks of Mariemount Saturday afternoon, at least once he was told he had someone's vote, not because of who he is, but because of who he isn't...

A runoff between Republican U.S. Rep. Henry Bonilla and his Democratic challenger will be held Dec. 12, Gov. Rick Perry said Tuesday. Bonilla finished with 49 percent of the vote in the Nov. 7 special election. He will face former U.S. Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, who got about 20 percent of the vote. Early voting will begin Dec. 4. Eight candidates participated in the special election that was called after the U.S. Supreme Court found a portion of the congressional district boundaries unconstitutional.

Shelley Sekula-Gibbs was sworn in as a congresswoman Monday night, and already she's a lame duck. Due to a weird electoral quirk, her term in office expires next month. But you couldn't tell that by listening to her. "I'm working hard to accomplish the things I'm working for," she said Tuesday. "For tax cuts. For immigration reform. To make sure we have a good solution for the war in Iraq." All that? In a few weeks? "If there's a way to do it, I'll do it," she said, smiling. "I'll deal with the leadership to get as much done as...

Although Mayor Bill White says it's an unnecessary expense, state law requires that the city conduct a special election to fill the seat of Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, who must resign for her brief stint in Congress. The special city election can be no earlier than May, meaning whoever wins will have to run again next November to keep the job. "It's sort of a shame that we have to pay a lot of money to hold a special election," White said. "But that's the state law as it exists." Sekula-Gibbs was elected Tuesday to serve out the term of former House...

<p>HOUSTON (AP) - Five people filed the necessary paperwork by Friday's afternoon deadline to run in the special election to temporarily fill the seat vacated by former House Majority leader Tom DeLay, according to the secretary of state's Office.</p> <p>Gov. Rick Perry this week ordered the Nov. 7 special election to temporarily replace DeLay, who resigned in June although his term doesn't expire until January. The general election is also on Nov. 7.</p>

U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks of Austin will decide whether Republican officials can name a nominee to replace former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay on the Nov. 7 general election ballot. On June 15, Republicans removed the suit, which Democrats filed in Travis County district court to block GOP officials from selecting a new nominee, out of state court and in to the U.S. District Court for the Western District in Austin.

Stop measuring for drapes, Nancy. If Democrats can’t win a special election for a seat left open by the guilty plea of a senior Republican congressman for bribery in a political environment that can politely be described as more sour than milk left on the counter for a week, how can they expect to win back control of the House of Representatives, handing the speakership to Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)? Democrats are claiming the fact that the Republican Party had to spend $5 million to assure victory for former Rep. Brian Bilbray in California’s GOP-friendly 50th congressional district is a sign...

The results from California's 50th district are now in - and Republican Brian Bilbray has defeated Democrat Francine Busby in the contest to complete the tenure of Duke Cunningham. This was Busby's third try at seizing the seat. She is now 0-for-3. The two will face off again in November, but it seems highly likely that the GOP will hold the seat.Pundits and partisans across the land have examined the returns to divine some kind of meaning from them. What did the voters tell us? Many answers have been offered - not all of them valid. Many people have seen...

A former Republican congressman narrowly beat his Democratic rival early Wednesday for the right to fill the House seat once held by imprisoned Randy "Duke" Cunningham, a race closely watched as a possible early barometer of next fall's vote. Republican Brian Bilbray emerged victorious after a costly and contentious race against Democrat Francine Busby, a local school board member who ran against Cunningham in 2004. With 90 percent of precincts reporting, Bilbray had 56,016 votes or 49.5 percent. Busby trailed with 51,202 votes or 45 percent. "I think that we're going back to Washington," Bilbray told a cheering crowd of...

Roger Hedgecock, talk show host on KOGO AM600 in San Diego, is playing a recording made covertly at a meeting last night. The meeting was an event held by the Francine Busby campaign. Busby is the Democrat candidate for California's 50th Congressional District, vacated by disgraced crook Republican Randy "Duke" Cunningham. The meeting was with an audience of Hispanic attendees and only Spanish-language media was invited. Busby addressed them through an interpreter. On the tape, a man is heard saying that he didn't "have papers" and asking how he could help. Busby replies, in part, "You can all help. You...

Latest poll has Busby, Bilbray tied at 45% each in race to succeed ex-Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham.

Houston City Councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs is in and Harris County Judge Robert Eckels is out of the Republican intraparty battle to succeed departing U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay. Because DeLay, R-Sugar Land, won the GOP nomination for a 12th term in the March primary and then announced he would step down, the nominee on the November general election ballot will be selected by party leaders in the four counties that are part of the 22nd Congressional District. Sekula-Gibbs, serving her last two years on council under city term limits, announced at an event in Webster today that she will seek the...

Assemblyman Tom Harman held on to a razor-thin lead to defeat Dana Point Councilwoman Diana Harkey in the bitterly fought contest to fill the vacant 35th state Senate District seat.

Embattled Texas Republican Tom DeLay’s decision to give up his House re-election bid — and soon to resign from Congress — has many Republicans sizing up their chances in the newly open suburban Houston district DeLay has represented for more than 20 years. But these prospective successors don’t know precisely when the 22nd District seat will be vacated by DeLay, or how exactly it will be filled. And it is not only Republicans who face uncertainty in the wake of DeLay’s stunning announcement late Monday. Democrat Nick Lampson, himself a former House member, entered the race to combat the controversial...

The 35th SD special election is only six weeks away (April 11). Dana Point Councilwoman Diane Harkey has been campaigning hard -- at least eight campaign mailers to date, including an absentee ballot program. Two of the mailers hit Assemblyman Tom Harman hard on his votes for tuition for illegal immigrants and sponsorship of the diaper tax [by the way, OC Blog has been posting the mail as it goes out -- click here for an overview]. Harkey has the endorsements of just about every major OC GOP political leader, as well as Lincoln Club and the HJTA. The New...

Into elective office, is talk radio really an effective stepping stone? With a number of others diving head-first into Congressional campaigns this year, probable 2008 Minnesota US Senate candidate Al Franken apparently isn't the only one with ties to the medium. In addition, several have at least indirect connections with liberal radio network Air America. And at the center of their fledgling 2006 candidacies, some are fighting off talk radio-related controversies. While relatively little attention has so far been paid to these hopefuls, that should change as political silly season shortly kicks off. A scorecard: ........................snip................

Last year, FR’s interview with political strategist-analyst Arnold Steinberg caused quite a stir. Since then, I have been getting periodic requests to interview Arnie again. Finally I approached him. Steinberg, an author years back of graduate textbooks in politics and media, also has been widely published as a columnist. He has been appointed to Federal commissions and boards by the Reagan and Bush administrations, and he served on the California Coastal Commission. He is an expert in virtually every phase of electoral politics, including candidate and initiative campaigns, and political advertising, including mail, print and especially broadcast. He has advised...

JEFFERSON CITY (AP) - Democrats picked up one previously Republican seat in the General Assembly in special elections yesterday, and each party held on to a seat it already controlled in the Missouri House. Republicans hold sizable majorities in the House and the Senate, so the special elections didn’t affect control of the chambers. Snip But Missouri Republican Party spokesman John Hancock stressed that the Democrats have failed to make headway in the past several special elections. "The Republicans had 97 House seats after the November ’04 elections, and we have 97 House seats tonight," he said. "The Democrats have...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Campaign committees battling over the eight propositions on last November's special election ballot spent a record $303.9 million, according to campaign reports filed this week. All eight of the initiatives, including four promoted by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, went down to defeat despite, or perhaps because of, the spending barrage. "It shows that if you have enough money you certainly can have your issue presented to voters," said Robert Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies, a Los Angeles-based campaign think tank. "But it also shows if you have enough money you can defeat almost any issue."...

Maybe it's our Hollywood influence, but in California we like plenty of drama with our elections. That's part of the reason we elected Arnold Schwarzenegger governor and then when we got tired of him last year, we tried to persuade Warren Beatty and Rob Reiner to challenge the Terminator But they resisted, and we slipped into depression over possible races between Schwarzenegger and Democratic policy wonks Phil Angelides or Steve Westly. Surely the Golden State can find more exciting candidates to take on a mega-celebrity governor riding a motorcycle with a sidecar. Who's casting this movie anyway? Meanwhile, we've turned...

Dear Friends,I am pleased to endorse Howard Kaloogian for U.S. Congress. He has been thoroughly tested over the years in the political battles in Sacramento and has proven himself time and again as a stalwart defender of the family and traditional values. His leadership in the recall of Gov. Gray Davis showed his ability to make a plainspoken case for restoring common sense to state government.As a member of the U.S. House, Howard will do the same. He will quickly become a legislative leader at a time when conservative, common sense leadership is desperately needed to preserve marriage, stand...

Nominees For Special Election Get Ready For Short Race For 37th Seat (LOUISVILLE) -- The special election for the open 37th District seat now has its two candidates. On Sunday Republicans nominated former teacher Debbie Peden a day after Democrats nominated State Rep. Perry Clark. They replace Republican Dana-Seum Stephenson and Democrat Virginia Woodward who faced off in the last election. WAVE 3's Frances Kuo reports. Four Republican candidates had stepped up to the plate with three-minute pitches including Doug Hawkins, Betty Drexler, Debbie Peden, and Tommy Riddle. Forty ballots from the Republican party's executive committee revealed their choice: Debbie...

Stephenson resigns disputed seat in Senate Special election will fill seat in 37th FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) -- Dana Seum Stephenson officially resigned her 37th District Senate seat Tuesday. The Republican cannot serve in the state Senate. The state Supreme Court ruled December 22 she did not meet residency requirements and was properly challenged before the November 2004 election. Her opponent, Democrat Virginia Woodward, also cannot serve because she did not receive the most votes.

Every political campaign, be it a contest between two candidates for office or a duel over a ballot measure, is an exercise in definition. Every campaign begins with an assumption that a candidate or cause has an automatic base of friendly voters, and winning hinges on appealing to those who are not automatically committed to one side or the other by defining the terms of the contest. It's Politics 1-A, but Arnold Schwarzenegger flunked in what must be regarded as his single-biggest political blunder. As the governor launched the mother of all California political battles a year ago, he wanted...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Just over half of California's registered voters took part in the Nov. 8 special election, Secretary of State Bruce McPherson said Friday. The state's top election official said 7,968,757, or 50.1 percent, of the state's 15,891,482 registered voters cast ballots, according to final totals compiled by county election officials. Nearly 40 percent of voters used absentee ballots to vote. McPherson had predicted that only 42 percent of registered voters would turn out for the election. Voters rejected all eight initiatives on the ballot, including four measures championed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Republican governor campaigned for Propositions...

An election schedule to replace disgraced former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham caused at least one candidate to drop out of the 50th District race yesterday and could force those seeking the seat to run in as many as up to three races in two months. Candidates will vie in a special primary election April 11 to serve the last six months of Cunningham's term. Then, on June 6, there could possibly be a runoff, the same day as a separate primary for the full two-year term. "We're sort of in uncharted waters," said Joe Justin, a consultant for state Sen....

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday set an April 11 special election to replace former San Diego area U.S. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham. Cunningham, a 64-year-old Republican, officially resigned his 50th Congressional district seat Dec. 1 after pleading guilty to accepting $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors and others in exchange for government business and other favors. If no candidate wins a majority in the primary, the top vote-getters in each party will face off June 6, the date of a statewide primary. County officials had asked Schwarzenegger set the April 11 special election to consolidate...

SHOULD GOV. Arnold Schwarzenegger run for reelection as an independent? Schwarzenegger is a centrist — conservative on taxes, crime and illegal immigration, and moderate on cultural and environmental issues. That balance is what attracted the support of swing voters when he was elected two years ago. But it has also kept him from forming a stronger relationship with the most ideologically committed members of his Republican Party. When Schwarzenegger announced his candidacy during the recall campaign against Gray Davis, it was a combination of star power and animosity toward Davis that allowed many conservative voters to overlook the actor-turned-politician's support...