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Conservative Dem Announces Retirement From House, Creating Opportunity For GOP
The Democrats may end up with a tough open House seat to defend, with Congressman Bud Cramer (D-AL) announcing his retirement.
The district voted 60%-39% for President Bush in 2004, and though Cramer had been able to easily hold the seat as a relatively conservative Dem since his first election in 1990, an open-seat race will probably be a top target for the Republicans.
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That's some bright news on a rough day for the NRCC. No way we're holding that one...
March 13, 2008 11:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Probably not much chance we can upgrade to a more liberal Dem huh?
Oh well. If the Republicans are anything like Hillary they'll win 1 seat, lose 40 others, and come out the next day telling the nation how the stopped (maybe even reversed) the Dem momentum, declare the people have buyers remorse, and then they'll declare the rules don't matter and they actually get to be president without the votes.
March 13, 2008 11:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
We might be able to hang onto to this seat. Besides, how much money can the NRCC afford to spend on any one seat. Another thing is, why would some lowly Rethug want to spend years in the minority?
March 13, 2008 11:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is the year to run in 435 districts... Concede NOTHING.... Make 'em win it... We just took Hastert's old district forgawdsake.
March 14, 2008 1:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
BLUE DOG DOWN, I REPEAT, BLUE DOG DOWN.
March 14, 2008 2:21 AM | Reply | Permalink
Finally some news not about the Presidential primary.
Thank god.
March 14, 2008 2:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think this is a great opportunity for Obama to showcase his conversion skills in red states. To match talk with action and so on. Perhaps he should hold a rally and make some commercials for the Dem contender of this seat.
March 14, 2008 6:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
Good point, this can test the outer limits of the Obama Effect, if he can keep this seat blue then he can pretty much to it anywhere.
March 14, 2008 7:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
If this guy was planning to retire anytime in the next couple of cycles anyways, I say this is a good thing. He might as well do it when the wind is at the Dems back and the Reps are broke. At least this year there is a fighting chance that he could be replaced by a Dem. If this was in the 6th year of an Dem presidency, who knows.
March 14, 2008 8:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
This is a Republican opportunity, but not a guaranteed Republican pick-up. Despite the Republican strength in the district on the Presidential level, it has a historically Democratic voting base and heavily Democratic registration, a large blue collar population, many government facilities (TVA, Huntsville space facilities, etc). A strong Democratic candidate could hold this district -- that Dem would be more conservative than we'd probably like, but an economic progressive candidate with a socially conservative/ moderate profile would represent the district's view quite well.
(Ron Sparks doesn't live in the district, but he is from a county that borders the district -- he would be a strong candidate, as would State Sen Roger Bedford, who ran against Jeff Sessions in 1996 and got a respectable 45% statewide)
March 14, 2008 9:21 AM | Reply | Permalink
F**k it, run a liberal. We don't need anymore right wing Democrats. We'll never be able to erase the Reagan/Bush/Gingrich legacy until we get liberals in control.
March 14, 2008 10:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
No giveaways! Make the Republicans fight for everything. We'll always lose if we don't even make the attempt. And it's a matter of candidates, anyway. Run a great candidate against an inept Republican and we can win, even in Alabama. And unless Hillary Clinton is on the ticket, we should see a huge Democratic turnout competing with a low Republican turnout.
It's going to be a tough fight, no doubt, but so what? And let's not settle for a Republican in Democratic clothing, either. Fight for what we believe in. That way, we won't be disappointed if we DO win.
March 14, 2008 11:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
Isn't Ralph Nader available?
I'd bet Cramer's son-in-law, or the Governor's son-in-law, or Ralph Reed or somebody is already ticketed for the district.
March 14, 2008 3:06 PM | Reply | Permalink