Down the ballot: The undecided races
Posted: Friday, November 07, 2008 9:05 AM by Domenico Montanaro
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Congress
ALASKA: In case Ted Stevens is having second thoughts about resigning his seat should he win, another major Senate Republican -- Jim DeMint -- is calling for expulsion.
CALIFORNIA: The Sacramento Bee: "The tight 4th Congressional District race between Tom McClintock and Charlie Brown will create extra work for county election officials already sifting through tens of thousands of uncounted absentee and provisional ballots. If the election margin is one-half of 1 percent or less on election night, already tallied votes in 10 percent of precincts must be recounted by hand to check the accuracy of voting machines. McClintock leads Brown, 50.2 percent to 49.8." The winner will replace scandal-ridden John Doolittle, who chose to retire after his ties to lobbyist Jack Abramoff promised to throw a wrench in a reelection bid in this heavily GOP district.
LOUSIANA: Because primary day in Louisiana was delayed due to Hurricane Gustav, Dec. 6 is Election Day for two Louisiana House seats, including the one held by Rep. William Jefferson, who has been indicted on corruption charges. Despite his high-profile legal woes, Jefferson is favored to win reelection in Louisiana's 2nd District. Democrat Paul Carmouche and Republican John Fleming will fight out the battle for Jim McCrery's seat in Louisiana's conservative Fourth District.
MARYLAND: In Maryland’s First Congressional District, writes the Baltimore Sun, "Democrat Frank M. Kratovil Jr. saw his slim lead over Republican Andy Harris more than double yesterday as election judges began to open absentee ballots in the 1st Congressional District." The race to replace Rep. Wayne Gilcrest is separated by around 1800 votes. Gilcrest, an Iraq War opponent, lost the Republican primary.
MINNESOTA: "One Senate candidate says the voters have spoken. The other says the electorate still needs to be heard. In the end, experts say, it could be the courts or even the Senate that speaks the loudest on Minnesota's unsettled Senate race."
OHIO: In Ohio’s 15th CD, per the Columbus Dispatch: "As of last night, Stivers held a 146-vote lead over Kilroy, with thousands of provisional ballots remaining to be counted." If victorious, Stivers, a pro-choice moderate, will fit the model of the centrist Republicans who escaped defeat in a political environment hostile to the GOP; if Kilroy wins, the sometimes uncharismatic candidate may have Barack Obama’s Ohio coattails to thank.
TEXAS: "Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison isn't ready to say whether she will run for governor in 2010, but she said Thursday that she doesn't think it would hurt Texas if she resigned from Congress before her term ends in 2012. 'I have looked at this from all angles,' Hutchison told reporters after speaking at a luncheon hosted by the University of Texas. 'And I believe that from the standpoint of Texas in the Senate, that if I did decide to step down in order to run for governor, that Texas would be actually well positioned because John Cornyn will have had a full term.'"
VIRGINIA: In VA-05, per last night's Richmond Times-Dispatch: "Democrat Tom S.P. Perriello, who started the day leading Republican Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr. by 31 votes, had a 639-vote lead by the end of the day after post-election canvassing by local electoral boards. At one point during the day Perriello was up by 832 votes. A recount is likely because the margin is still below the 1 percent threshold that allows the trailing candidate to seek a recount." (First Read noted last weekend that Republicans must have smelled trouble in this usually solid GOP district. The NRCC sent out a press release slamming Perriello as an out-of-touch New York City elite.)
WASHINGTON: In suburban Seattle, "Republican Rep. Dave Reichert maintained his narrow lead over Democrat Darcy Burner Thursday in their close race for the 8th Congressional District. Burner was still leading in King County, which makes up about 80 percent of the district, but Reichert was chipping away at her advantage there. He was winning handily in the part of Pierce County that makes up about 20 percent of the district."
