Niki Tsongas, widow of former Senator and Presidential candidate Paul Tsongas, has won the special election in Massachusetts' 5th Congressional District to replace Rep. Marty Meehan, according to The Hill (click the link for their full report).
Tsongas defeated Republican Jim Ogonowski by an estimated 51-46% in the "safe" Democratic district. Ogonowski's strong showing can be attributed to a combination of his personal history as a career Air Force veteran, Tsongas' lack of experience, and the Republican's competitiveness on "change" issues. The district went for Kerry by 17% in 2004, but was also carried by Romney for Governor in 2002.
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Congressional Races, Democrats, Election Results, Massachusetts
Tags: congressional race, Democrat, Massachusetts, special election
Comments (6)
And if this is the election... (Below threshold)1. Posted by COgirl | October 17, 2007 4:46 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
And if this is the election result in a safe Dem district, you have to wonder about the 2008 election. Congress has done nothing under Dem "leadership".
1. Posted by COgirl | October 17, 2007 4:46 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on October 17, 2007 16:46
2. Posted by ReadyFirst | October 17, 2007 9:35 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Jim,
A couple days ago Michael Barone had an article in RCP talking about this election as a barometer going into 2008. Any opinion or word from you or other commentators on how good/bad this result was? Thanks.
2. Posted by ReadyFirst | October 17, 2007 9:35 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on October 17, 2007 21:35
3. Posted by ReadyFirst | October 17, 2007 10:17 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Well, found this over on RCP, interesting.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2007/10/massachusetts_special_election.html
3. Posted by ReadyFirst | October 17, 2007 10:17 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on October 17, 2007 22:17
4. Posted by COgirl | October 17, 2007 10:55 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Having listened to the President's comments today, I believe that the GOP is seizing the opportunity to start to hammer home the notion that the Dems in power in Congress are doing nothing. You have this result and the results of polls that have the job approval rating of Congress lower than that of Bush. I think it's a trend the Dems should be worried about.
My 2 cents worth.
4. Posted by COgirl | October 17, 2007 10:55 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on October 17, 2007 22:55
5. Posted by Andy | October 17, 2007 11:57 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I'm not sure this is entirely meaningful, though I do think it reflects the fact that the public is just as anti-Washington as it is anti-Republican (Democrats still beat Republicans in generic polling). Ogonowski was able to paint Tsongas as Washington and, with a strong bio, was appealing to independent voters.
I think it does prove that 2008 won't be a wave election. If Dems succeed at the Senate level, which I think they will, it's because they have solid candidates and the right landscape (more Republicans up and many in blue states).
5. Posted by Andy | October 17, 2007 11:57 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on October 17, 2007 23:57
6. Posted by Jim Addison | October 18, 2007 3:12 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Quite right, Andy. What it means is that a good candidate can compete against a weak one, even if the weak one is in a presumed "safe" district.
The presumption, on the basis of a single midterm election and Presidential approval ratings at the end of a second term, that the trend of the last 40 years has suddenly reversed is likely to prove mistaken.
The Democrats have a strong edge in the Senate next year, with only 12 seats up against 22 held by the GOP. However, the House will be close, as it has been the last several terms, and the White House is up for grabs and will depend more on the candidates than their parties, as befits a divided electorate.
6. Posted by Jim Addison | October 18, 2007 3:12 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on October 18, 2007 03:12