Not so fast, said the DCCC to the doomsayers:
At least 2 members who have been targets of an orchestrated GOP effort to goad them into retiring have told DCCC chair Chris Van Hollen they will run again over the past day. Spokespeople for Reps. Ike Skelton (D-MO) and Tim Holden (D-PA) say the incumbents will seek another term. …
Meanwhile, other potentially vulnerable incumbents have also assured the DCCC they are staying put. Reps. Ben Chandler (D-KY), Jim Matheson (D-UT) and Chet Edwards (D-TX) all told Dem leaders they would seek additional terms. A spokesperson for Rep. Lincoln Davis (D-TN) later said he will run for re-election as well.
Reid Wilson, who has done yeoman work tracking down retirement rumors, also reports that his sources say they expect Rick Boucher (VA-09) to run again. The GOP’s gung-ho attempts to goad various red-seat Dems into retirement may be having the opposite effect, if it’s pushing Dems to circle the wagons (and getting some competitive juices flowing again). In any event, this is some good pushback by Chris Van Hollen and the D-Trip.
Of course, there are still plenty of other names to be concerned about – our open seat watch still has several Democratic names on it, and several more have been the subject of recent rumors. I’m hoping, though, that some wobbly members of our caucus will take some cues from an old warhorse like Skelton and say to themselves, “If he can do it once more, then so can I.”
UPDATE: Maybe my theory is right:
Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) even publicly announced he’s definitely running again, and bashed Republicans for spreading rumors that he was thinking of stepping down.
“I don’t know why anyone would give credibility to these Republican rumors. I’m running for re-election and anyone who knows me knows that what I’m doing now is what I’ve always done,” Peterson said in a statement. “My paperwork is on file and in February I’ll make an official announcement.”
UPDATE No. 2: I’ve changed the title, in light of the extra information in the Politico piece, which notes that Earl Pomeroy has also told the DCCC he’s running again. (So has Paul Kanjorski, but Obama won his district handily.) Marion Berry is also expected to run again, according to the piece. So that’s seven red-seat yeses and two probablies (Boucher and Berry). Not bad for a day’s work.
http://politicsinminnesota.com…
some good news. Almost forgot how that feels like
Ike Skelton’s running again! Hooray! Now let’s see if God hates Joe Lieberman as much as I do…
And btw, good call on the “competitive juices” theory. I hadn’t even thought of it before you mentioned it previously, but it makes perfect sense. These are all politicians–specifically Congressman, who have a race every 2 years–and in theory, they’ve got to have some affection for the political game.
If the GOP can’t knock off Edwards in 2010 he’s gonna be around for awhile! He deserves a shirt which says “I keep surviving the DeLayMander of ’03!”
Conspicuous by their absence though – Spratt, Snyder, Berry, Mollohan. Maybe Rahall and Boswell.
I thought for sure he was out on the heels of Tanner & Gordon.
Those are some really big names.
Skelton – bottom line is, if he drops out Missouri-4 is gone. With Skelton still hanging in, I think this is a likely democratic victory, although it might be closer than normal
Peterson – Only chance for the Repubs was in an open seat, Peterson will win this one pretty easily. Although Minnesota-7 went for McCain barely, but looking at the map it appears that district turned quite a bit blue in 2008, especially the counties on the North Dakota border.
Holden – Likewise, Obama really did well in Holden’s district, nearly carrying it. An open seat was the Repubs only chance here. I wasn’t really all that concerned with Pennsylvania-17 anyway, Obama’s still pretty popular in the northeast.
Chandler – This would be a very tough hold, but I’m not as bearish about Kentucky as I am with some other southern states. A good candidate could’ve held it, but with Chandler staying in I don’t think we’ve got much of a problem here. Maybe closer than normal, but that’s it.
Matheson – This guy seems pretty popular in his district and is well known within the state because of his name. An open seat and Utah-2 would’ve been gone for sure, good thing Matheson is staying in. I have a feeling he wants to run for governor or senator but because of how bad the cycle would be for Dems, he didn’t think he’d be able to overcome Utah’s hugely R lean.
Edwards – Honestly, I don’t know how this guy keeps surviving in Texas-17, which is in the heart of bright red republican rural Texas. It boggles my mind. This is the very definition of an unwinnable district for Dems across the country and he keeps winning. I’m inclined to believe that he’s going to win again just because he’s been in situations at least this bad before. But it’ll be a battle for sure.
Davis – This is the one district that I think we’re going to lose even with the incumbent running. I’ve held that view since April. Davis sticking around helps, but Tennessee-4 has absolutely fallen off a cliff the last 8 years. That’s the difference between Davis and Edwards, Edwards has already had to deal with a ridiculously conservative district for years on end. Davis, not so much.
Via Facebook status, Chet Edwards has sent out the memo, he HAS filed for re-election. So, lock.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/…
Someday Ralph Hall (R TX-4) and Sam Johnson (R TX-3) will retire . . .
As will Solomon Ortiz, we could do so much better than him.