National congressional victories give state Democrats confidence; Republicans not concerned

Tuesday's Democratic victory in Mississippi's special congressional election, the party's third national victory in two months and second in 10 days, has Maryland Democratic Party officials confident that the trend could continue in Maryland, where Republicans hold the 1st and 6th district seats.

"Throw out the rules of political conventionality," state Democratic Party Chairman Michael Cryor said in a statement. "There are very few safe Republican seats in America anymore; not in the Midwest, not in the deep South and certainly not in a blue Mid-Atlantic state such as Maryland. It doesn't matter how long a Republican has held the seat. It doesn't matter how many votes George Bush got in 2004, America is voting for change in 2008. America is voting Democratic."

Democrat Travis Childers defeated Republican Greg Davis in Mississippi’s 1st congressional district, Tuesday, 54 percent to 46 percent .The seat had been in Republican hands since 1995.

On May 3, in Louisiana, Donald Cazayoux, a Democrat, defeated Republican Woody Jenkins in a district held by the GOP for 33 years.

Similarly, Democrat Bill Foster won the special election in Illinois’ 14th Congressional District on March 8. The seat was a Republican stronghold since 1939.

Republican incumbents easily won re-election to each of the seats in 2006, while President Bush also secured victory by a comfortable margin in the same districts in 2004.

“The elections are going to be decided by the voters in those districts,” Justin Ready, executive director of the Maryland Republican Party, told PolitickerMD.com. “I don’t consider (the Democratic victories) to be something that will necessarily have an effect in Maryland.”

The state GOP will look to hold seats in the Sixth District, where Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Frederick) has been since 1993, and in the First District, where state Sen. Andy Harris (R-Cockeysville) will look to replace incumbent Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (R-Kennedyville), who has held the seat since 1991. Harris defeated Gilchrest in the Republican primary.

“Incumbents sometimes have complacency,” Ready said when asked about the national defeats.

Of course, the three GOP candidates in Illinois, Louisiana, and Mississippi were not incumbents, but the seats had long been in the Republican column.

Ready also referred to the political dominance Republicans have in Mississippi and Louisiana and speculated that voters may have been trying to buck the establishment.

“In Maryland, Republicans go against the establishment,” Ready said.

Meanwhile, Cryor called 1st and 6th district nominees Frank Kratovil (D-Stevensville) and Jennifer Dougherty (D-Frederick) “the right candidates to shatter the notion that Maryland’s First and Sixth Districts belong to the GOP.”

“That’s a false assumption that no longer applies, especially as we challenge two extremist Republicans who have voted for and endorsed the Bush agenda on the war, the economy and the environment,” Cryor said.

Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Kensington), the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, boasted during an interview with The Washington Times that his opposition at the National Republican Congressional Committee “broke the bank and spent nearly 20 percent of their cash on hand” on the Mississippi race.

Speaking with PolitickerMD.com, Ready said the NRCC’S national fundraising numbers are “a problem,” adding, “They are working to correct it.”

Asked how the lack of national party funds would hurt Harris and Bartlett, Ready said, “I don’t think they were counting on NRCC money coming in.”

In addition, Ready said the party would “work very hard” in the state’s remaining six congressional districts, which are all held by Democratic incumbents expected to win.

“We need to expand the playing field,” Ready said.