Tea partier Dr Rob Steele gave John Dingell a serious fight in 2010 and Steel was a late entry nobody running in a district held by Dingell and his daddy for nearly a century. It was a less than 10 point split between them and Steele had no real GOP backing.
Its also important to note that while well liked, Thaddeus McCotter was quite moderate because they said a conservative could never win that district. Today its held by solid tea party congressman Kerry Bentivolio.
Things are changing considerably in Michigan. The grassroots tea party may well be among the most powerful in the nation with the GOPe being very careful about what they say and do. A coalition of tea partiers and GOP conservatives even put a rock solid conservative on the RNC.
Yes, but you’re referencing White majority districts. It is exceptionally difficult with Black districts. Even in the New Orleans (LA-2) example, which we did win in 2008, that was not a race that was held on a normal election day. There was a district in GA where a Black Republican lady outspent the Black Dem candidate and still couldn’t pull it off.
Dr. Steele, while he did perform well in Dingell’s district in 2010, the margin was still a wide 17% for Dingell (57%-40%).
http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=496778
With Bentivolio, had he not had an Indian Mohammadan opponent for the full term, he would’ve lost McCotter’s seat (and remember that he did lose for the remainder of McCotter’s term to a White Dem by 2% in that same election). Though, I expect he’ll probably be reelected.