Another House GOPer has been caught up in the national Democratic wave. CNN and NBC have projected that Rep. Thelma Drake (R-VA) has been defeated by Democratic challenger Glenn Nye, a businessman and former diplomat.

With 100% of precincts reporting, Nye has 52% of the vote to Drake's 48%. Drake was previously targeted by the Dems in 2006, but narrowly held on against her opponent that year. This time, she wasn't so lucky.

Meanwhile, Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA), best known for denouncing the election of Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) as the first Muslim member of Congress, may have been defeated. His Dem opponent has even predicted victory in a very tight race, though news organizations have yet to call the race.

Here's tonight's run-down of the Congressional races:

Foley Successor Embroiled In Own Allegations of Misconduct
Democrats could end up losing a key Florida House seat that they picked up in 2006: The district of the infamous former GOP Rep. Mark Foley. Freshman Democrat Tim Mahoney reportedly agreed to pay $121,000 to a former female staffer and alleged mistress, after she threatened to sue him. Mahoney is facing a competitive challenge from GOP candidate Tom Rooney.

Dem Ad: Norm Coleman Is "Shameless"
The DSCC has this new ad against Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN), lampooning his recent announcement that he'll suspend negative advertisement as a ploy to avoid responsibility for his own misleading attacks and personal scandals:

"Suit from Neiman Marcus: $1,400. Misleading attack ads paid for by you and your allies: $6.8 million," the announcer says. "Calling for a suspension of negative ads after smearing your opponent? Shameless."

Read more »

GOP Rep. Thelma Drake of Virginia has just returned from a bipartisan trip to Iraq — and her first-hand view of the war has left her with an interesting perspective. Not only is the surge working, Drake says, but the Iraqi Parliament is doing a better job than the United States Congress.

Via Raising Kaine, from the Newport News Daily Press:

Iraqi lawmakers, she said, "have passed and signed into law more legislation than we have this year."

While progress may be slow, Drake said, when compared to promises made by Democrats in Congress, "They probably have a better track record."

One of Drake's companions on the trip, Democratic Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, had a very different perspective on things. "I believe overall the surge is a failure," said Schakowsky. "What I came away with was that Iraq was a huge distraction from the real war on terror."

The Daily Press asked Drake how two members of Congress could walk away from the same trip with such different opinions. Drake's response: "Maybe people see what they want to see." Indeed.

Incidentally, Drake was narrowly re-elected in 2006 by the very tight margin of 51%-49%.

The campaign of Dem Phil Kellam has just admitted that Kellam was convicted for assault in 1978—and the scandal could potentially derail the promising campaign he's been waging against freshman GOP Rep. Thelma Drake. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports today that Kellam was convicted while in college in North Carolina, in an episode Kellam's campaign claims was a case of road-rage.

Read more »

GOP Rep. Thelma Drake -- who recently asserted that the people stranded after Katrina were in New Orleans because they "didn't want to leave" -- apparently believes that the biggest danger to American security isn't terrorists or nuke-bearing dictators, but critics of the Iraq war. Check out what Drake recently told the Virginian-Pilot:

"What I see as the greatest threat to America is that the American people will put political pressure on their leaders to pull out of Iraq before we should."

Still unknown: How far below Iraq war critics Drake would rank Al-Qaeda, Iran, or North Korea as threats to America.

On the eve of the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, GOP Rep. Thelma Drake was asked by an alternative weekly in Virginia why so many people were left behind in New Orleans when the Hurricane struck. The question referred to residents unable to evacuate who took refuge in the Superdome, as well as people trying to leave on foot who were blocked by armed police from adjacent towns. Drake's response? "They didn't want to leave."