Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, released this statement last night regarding the Republican victories in the Ohio and Virginia special elections:

National Republicans, right wing special interest groups, and 527's, like Freedom's Watch, are alive and well in Republican House races. They poured more than $500,000 in to save Bob Latta in a 39% Democratic performing district.

Tom Cole and the NRCC spending 20 percent of their cash on hand to retain one of the most Republican districts in the country — priceless.

The Republicans have retained their vacant House seat in Ohio, winning the Fifth Congressional District special election caused by the death of GOP Congressman Paul Gillmor. The Associated Press projects that state Rep. Bob Latta has won the seat, defeating Democratic candidate Robin Weirauch.

With 53.24% of precincts currently reporting, Latta has 55.79% of the vote to Weirauch's 44%. Democrats had made a strong push for the seat, taking advantage of the divisive Republican primary, but the district's demographics were just too strong — President Bush carried the area by a 22% margin in 2004. They can take some heart, however, in that they forced the cash-strapped National Republican Congressional Committee to spend over $400,000 on the race.

Today is Election Day in two special elections for the House: The Fifth District of Ohio, and the First District of Virginia, both of which were vacated through the deaths of Republican incumbents.

The race in Ohio might just be the one to watch. Although the district went for President Bush by a 22% margin in 2004, the race has been thrown into the air by a divisive Republican primary and the lackluster general election campaign by GOP nominee Bob Latta. The Politico reports that internal polling for the Latta campaign has actually shown him trailing Dem nominee Robin Weirauch by four points.

A Weirauch win, or even a close loss, would leave the Republicans in very poor spirits heading into 2008.

Even though they've had notorious money problems this cycle, the National Republican Congressional Committee is spending a lot of money for tomorrow's Ohio special election — a sign that they could be worried about a weak showing or even a loss, which would profoundly damage them in further fundraising and candidate recruitment.

Roll Call reports that the NRCC has spend over $400,000 on the race, compared to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spending a little over $240,000. The NRCC's spending has come despite the fact that the Fifth Congressional District, vacated by the death of Rep. Paul Gillmor (R), voted for President Bush by a 22% margin in 2004.

With the National Republican Congressional Committee all but broke — at the end of October, the organization had a net debt of $1 million — the fact that they're dropping cash for this new ad in the special election for Ohio's strongly conservative Fifth District indicates they're clearly worried about an upset:

Kos adds: "What's particularly hilarious is that the 'problems' the ad declares Americans face are all problems created by the Bush administration and the Bush Republicans who have run Congress most of the last eight years."

The National Republican Congressional Committee is now spending money — a lot of it, despite their fundraising problems this year — in the special election for what is normally a very safe seat. CQ reports that the NRCC has put in $280,000 on behalf of Republican nominee Bob Latta, who is running for the seat of the late Rep. Paul Gillmor (R-OH).

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee have already put in $150,000 on behalf of Democratic nominee Robin Weirauch, even though the district went for President Bush by 22% in 2004. If the special election on December 11 even turns out to be close, it'll be taken as bad news for the Republicans.

It looks like Democrats are sensing an opportunity in Ohio, where voters will choose a replacement for the late Rep. Paul Gillmor (R) next week in the state's strongly Republican 5th Congressional District. The race is a longshot in terms of the district's previous voting patterns, but the Democratic Congressional Congressional Committee is still putting some money in.

According to the latest FEC filings, the DCCC has just made a $150,000 media buy against GOP candidate Bob Latta. Latta was bruised by a highly contentious primary with state Sen. Steve Buehrer, and the DCCC believes that populist Democrat Robin Weirauch just might have a shot in the district — even though the district supported Bush by a 22% margin in 2004.

In the special election primary yesterday for Ohio's Fifth Congressional District, state Rep. Bob Latta narrowly defeated state Sen. Steve Buehrer in the Republican primary, winning by a 44%-40% margin. The primary had been a very rough one, with the Club For Growth spending heavily on behalf of Buehrer.

Latta, whose father Del Latta served in the same Congressional seat from 1959 through his retirement in 1988, will now face 2004 and 2006 Democratic nominee Robin Weirauch. Latta starts out in this race as the favorite.

The seat became vacant in early September, due to the death of ten-term incumbent Republican Paul Gillmor.

The Republican primary in the special election for the late Congressman Paul Gillmor's (R-OH) seat is getting dirty, and it can be explained in three words: Club For Growth.

The Club is supporting state Senator Steve Buehrer against state Rep. Bob Latta, whose father Del Latta retired from the same Congressional seat back in 1988. Here's their new ad attacking Latta as a tax-hiking liberal:

There's more after the jump.

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The medical examiner in the death of Congressman Paul Gillmor (R-OH), who was found deceased at his Northern Virginia apartment on Wednesday, said Gillmor died of head and neck trauma "consistent with a fall." The circumstances of his death, which is now ruled to have been accidental, were not considered suspicious.

Congressman Gillmor was 68 years old, serving his tenth term in the House.

Late Update: The Rothenberg Political Report has the news that Gillmor's widow has ruled out a run for his seat.

Just in from Roll Call:

Rep. Paul Gillmor (R-Ohio) has died. Details of his passing have not yet been made public.

CNN adds that he "was found dead in his apartment Wednesday," according to a Republican leadership aide.

More when we know it.

Late Update: The Associated Press adds that according to a Gillmor aide, "the body of the 68-year-old Republican was found by staff members who went to his apartment after he failed to show up for work."

Later Update: The Hill reports that sources believe the cause of death was a heart attack.