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Archive: House
Winners and Losers: Of Mountaineers and Magnolias
Another primary night is in the books. But for once, it was a House race -- a special election in Mississippi -- not the presidential contest that served to surprise. Hillary Rodham Clinton won a massive -- albeit expected --...
By Chris Cillizza | May 14, 2008; 01:56 PM ET | Comments (49)
What Does It Mean: Miss. Special Election
This is the first installment of a new occasional, collaborative feature between The Fix and Capitol Briefing. When interesting political news happens, we'll exchange a series of e-mails offering (we hope) trenchant analysis of "what it means" along with some...
By Chris Cillizza | May 14, 2008; 12:25 PM ET | Comments (44)
Democrat Wins Mississippi Special Election
House Democrats won a conservative northern Mississippi House seat in a special election tonight, a victory certain to send shock waves through the ranks of congressional GOPers. The Associated Press called the race for Prentiss County Chancery Clerk Travis Childers...
By Chris Cillizza | May 13, 2008; 10:15 PM ET | Comments (59)
Independent Spending Gurus Key to Battle for House
The battle for House control is already well underway with a key special election later this month in Mississippi's 1st District and another in early May in Louisiana's 6th District. To that end, both the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and...
By Chris Cillizza | April 17, 2008; 01:39 PM ET | Comments (6)
The Line: The Eyes of Texas Shine on House GOP
House Republicans, desperate for good news in an election cycle that appears to be going from bad to worse, won a rare victory earlier this week when Pete Olson, former chief of staff to Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), crushed former...
By Chris Cillizza | April 11, 2008; 05:00 AM ET | Comments (93)
Special Elections Present Peril for House GOP
Special elections are the least predictable of all political contests due to the vagaries of off-schedule turnout, the circumstances that caused the open seat, and the impact of the national political environment. Republicans learned that lesson the hard way last...
By Chris Cillizza | April 10, 2008; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (88)
Putting The Hastert Seat Loss in Context
Republicans' defeat in last Saturday's special election to replace former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) was stunning on its face but the implications of the contest are potentially far-reaching and critical in understanding the coming November elections. As much as...
By Chris Cillizza | March 10, 2008; 12:55 PM ET | Comments (74)
House Dems Score Special Election Upset
Physicist Bill Foster (D) defeated dairy magnate Jim Oberweis (R) in the Illinois special election to replace former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R), a win that reinforces the perils facing House Republicans at the ballot box this fall. With 99...
By Chris Cillizza | March 8, 2008; 10:53 PM ET | Comments (74)
Bobby Bright and The Question of Obama's Coattails
Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright's recent decision to run as a Democrat for the open 2nd District House seat in Alabama may not have drawn much attention nationally, but his campaign could well serve as a litmus test for just how...
By Chris Cillizza | February 28, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (337)
The 'Other' Potomac Primaries
Amidst the massive coverage of today's Potomac Primary on the presidential level, it's easy to forget that two House incumbents in Maryland face the very real possibility of losing their seats. Reps. Wayne Gilchrest (R) and Al Wynn (D) find...
By Chris Cillizza | February 12, 2008; 01:40 PM ET | Comments (11)
Alaska: A Target-Rich Environment for Democrats?
New polling out of Alaska shows that the state's two iconic Republican incumbents are in real jeopardy at the ballot box next year. The survey, conducted by Research 2000 for the liberal website DailyKos and in the field from Dec....
By Chris Cillizza | December 14, 2007; 06:07 PM ET | Comments (12)
GOP Wins Ohio Seat: Does it Signal a Comback?
DES MOINES -- Beset by stories -- thanks for nothing Billy Shaheen and Bill Clinton -- that play into a narrative that her campaign is panicking, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) takes to the debate stage this afternoon with her last, best chance to regain the momentum in the Iowa caucuses.
By Chris Cillizza | December 13, 2007; 12:13 PM ET | Comments (30)
Louisiana's 4th District: Open Opportunity?
The retirement of Rep. Jim McCrery (R-La.) , which broke late Friday night, brings to 17 the number of Republicans leaving Congress at the end of 2008. McCrery's departure -- while not totally unexpected -- is a powerful symbolic blow...
By Chris Cillizza | December 10, 2007; 05:32 PM ET | Comments (19)
House: Ferguson Retirement Creates Another Competitive Open Seat
UPDATE, 6:30 pm: In a major blow to Republican recruiting, state Sen. Tom Kean Jr. (R) removed himself from consideration late this afternoon. "I would like to thank the various party leaders, activists and supporters who have reached out to...
By Chris Cillizza | November 19, 2007; 05:28 PM ET | Comments (24)
New Jersey's 3rd: Republicans on the Defensive
The news out of New Jersey last week wasn't good for Republicans. Rep. Jim Saxton (R) was retiring, leaving behind a swing district in an area of the country that has grown increasingly inhospitable to Republicans. While national Republicans did...
By Chris Cillizza | November 13, 2007; 02:29 PM ET | Comments (9)
New Jersey Rep. Saxton to Retire
Rep. Jim Saxton, the twelve-term Republican from New Jersey's 3rd District, plans to retire after his current term, an announcement that could come as early as today, according to sources familiar with his decision. Saxton's retirement opens up a seat...
By Chris Cillizza | November 9, 2007; 01:11 PM ET | Comments (22)
The Line: Open-Seat Advantage for House Dems?
The retirements just keep coming for House Republicans. In the past month, five more Republican incumbents decided against seeking another term in 2008. Two hail from districts -- New Mexico's 1st and Ohio's 16th -- where Democrats will be even...
By Chris Cillizza | October 26, 2007; 05:00 AM ET | Comments (159)
Massachusetts Special Election: What Does It Mean?
Just minutes after Democrat Niki Tsongas beat Republican Jim Ogonowski and claimed victory in the Massachusetts' 5th district special election, the spin wars began. The National Republican Congressional Committee sent out a memo entitled "The Democratic Wave Breaks" that argued...
By Chris Cillizza | October 17, 2007; 11:10 AM ET | Comments (110)
Ohio's 16th District: GOP Hits Just Keep Coming
Rep. Ralph Regula's (R-Ohio) long-expected retirement over the weekend adds yet another open seat that Republicans will have to fight hard -- and spend freely -- to win. Regula has been on retirement lists for the last several cycles due...
By Chris Cillizza | October 15, 2007; 05:10 PM ET | Comments (10)
New Mexico's 1st District: Wilson's Gone, Democrats Line Up
The dominos are starting to fall in New Mexico following Sen. Pete Domenici's (R) retirement announcement late last week. The first major domino was Rep. Heather Wilson (R) who announced last Friday she would leave the 1st district seat she...
By Chris Cillizza | October 9, 2007; 09:45 AM ET | Comments (23)
The Line: Retirement Headaches for House GOP
The last month hasn't been a good one for House Republicans. Already on the ropes thanks to President Bush's dismal job approval ratings and continued public unhappiness about the war in Iraq, the strategists in charge of winning back a...
By Chris Cillizza | October 5, 2007; 08:08 AM ET | Comments (121)
Alabama's 2nd: A Longshot For Democrats
We've often said that not all open seats are created equal. Retirements in places like Ohio's 15th District, Minnesota's 3rd and Arizona's 1st create big problems for Republicans. Not so -- at least at first glance -- in Alabama's 2nd,...
By Chris Cillizza | October 2, 2007; 07:43 AM ET | Comments (46)
IL-II: Another GOP Open Seat
The hits keep on coming for House Republicans who watched another member -- Illinois Rep. Jerry Weller -- announce he will not seek re-election in 2008. Weller's announcement, which was made just weeks after a Chicago Tribune story that raised...
By Chris Cillizza | September 24, 2007; 01:43 PM ET | Comments (31)
Republican Shays Dangles Retirement
The threat by veteran Rep. Chris Shays (R-Conn.) to retire next year unless he is granted a ranking committee assignment poses a new dilemma for GOP party leaders who already are struggling to avert widespread losses in the 2008 congressional...
By Chris Cillizza | September 19, 2007; 04:25 PM ET | Comments (37)
Ramstad To Retire
Minnesota Republican Rep. Jim Ramstad announced his retirement from the House today, creating another major problem for House Republicans and a golden Democratic pickup opportunity. Ramstad is the seventh House Republican to choose against running for re-election in 2008. He...
By Chris Cillizza | September 17, 2007; 04:29 PM ET | Comments (40)
Doolittle Says He Will Run, "Period."
California Rep. John Doolittle's defiant pronouncement that he will seek re-election to the House in 2008 has to send shivers down the spines of savvy Republican strategists. For months, political operatives have been acting as though Doolittle's retirement is a...
By washingtonpost.com Editors | September 7, 2007; 05:21 PM ET | Comments (51)
Arizona's 1st: Where Retirement Is a Good Thing
The decision by Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.) not to seek re-election in 2008 is the rare instance where an incumbent stepping aside increases his party's chances of holding the seat. Renzi had been beset from ethical questions and legal woes...
By Chris Cillizza | September 4, 2007; 10:33 AM ET | Comments (24)
Mississippi's 3rd: Another One Bites the Dust
What a week! Rep. Chip Pickering's (R-Miss.) decision to leave his Mississippi House seat after six terms marked the third retirement in the Republicans ranks in the last seven days. Luckily for House Republicans, keeping Pickering's seat is not nearly...
By Chris Cillizza | August 20, 2007; 05:06 PM ET | Comments (55)
Analysis: Can Dems Pick Up Hastert and Pryce Seats?
It's been a bad couple of days for House Republicans, as two senior lawmakers who once held top leadership positions in the GOP caucus -- former Speaker Dennis Hastert (Ill.) and ex-Conference Chairwoman Deborah Pryce (Ohio) -- said they will...
By Chris Cillizza | August 16, 2007; 08:25 AM ET | Comments (181)
At YearlyKos: Dems Set to Expand Congressional Majorities
CHICAGO -- Renowned Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg had some advice for the progressive bloggers gathered here for the second annual YearlyKos convention: Think big. As in, big gains for Democrats in both the House and the Senate in 2008. "Do...
By Chris Cillizza | August 3, 2007; 04:10 PM ET | Comments (65)
House Republicans Make Attempt at Playing Offense
After spending the first seven months of the 2008 cycle in a defensive crouch, House Republicans are trying to regain momentum by launching radio ads against five Democratic incumbents. The ads, funded by the National Republican Congressional Committee and timed...
By Chris Cillizza | August 2, 2007; 07:40 AM ET | Comments (109)
What's the Matter With Alaska?
Remember Alaska? The ruby red state President Bush carried by 25 points in 2004 and 31 points four years earlier? The state who last elected a Democrat to the Senate in 1974. And to the House in 1972? (For trivia's...
By Chris Cillizza | July 31, 2007; 01:38 PM ET | Comments (166)
The Line: GOP Hopes to 'ROMP' Its Way Back to House Majority
Earlier this week The Fix got his hands on the yet-to-be-released ROMP (Regain Our Majority Program) list -- a sort of insider's tip sheet to GOP House incumbents who are thought by party strategists to be at risk of losing...
By Chris Cillizza | June 29, 2007; 07:30 AM ET | Comments (217)
The Line: Battle for House Taking Shape
Slowly but surely the House playing field is starting to take shape. Democrats have scored early recruiting successes in Missouri's 6th District and Ohio's 16th, while Republicans got their men in Georgia's 8th District and California's 11th. But we're still...
By Chris Cillizza | June 1, 2007; 08:00 AM ET | Comments (84)
The Line: GOP Wants Its 'Safe' House Seats Back
The Fix is knee-deep in sorting through the winners and losers from last night's Republican presidential debate, but the thought of going two straight weeks without a Friday Line was just unacceptable. So here's an update on the most-competitive House...
By Chris Cillizza | May 4, 2007; 06:15 AM ET | Comments (104)
Will Dems Get Another Shot at Arizona's 1st?
It's been a bad last week for Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.). Rep. Rick Renzi of Arizona -- on resignation watch? (Getty Images) Following the news that his wife's business had been raided by the FBI in connection with an investigation...
By Chris Cillizza | April 30, 2007; 04:00 PM ET | Comments (31)
The Line: Dems Dominate List of Endangered House Members
The Fix is headed down to Atlanta for a long weekend of cheering on his beloved Georgetown Hoyas in the Final Four. But what would Friday be without The Line? This week we tackle the 10 House seats most likely...
By Chris Cillizza | March 30, 2007; 05:00 AM ET | Comments (160)
Cole a Rare GOP Optimist
Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole may be the last Republican optimist left in Washington. "Our political positioning is very good," Cole insisted during an interview earlier this week. "It is not believable to me that we would have two 2006s in...
By Chris Cillizza | March 8, 2007; 03:50 PM ET | Comments (57)
House Democrats Reveal Their "Frontline"
In the 2006 election, Democrats didn't lose a single House member to defeat, an unblemished record that was credited to a program aimed at funneling funds to endangered incumbents early and often. Known as "Frontline," the program was so effective...
By Chris Cillizza | February 15, 2007; 01:24 PM ET | Comments (44)
Handicapping the 2008 Battle For the House
In the past week, the incoming heads of the Democratic and Republican House campaign committees sought to define the parameters of the 2008 playing field. And, not surprisingly, both parties say they are on offense. "At the [Democratic Congressional Campaign...
By Chris Cillizza | January 17, 2007; 04:01 PM ET | Comments (26)
The 110th Congress Arrives
It's here! Less than two months after voters swept Republicans out of their House and Senate majorities, the 110th Congress is set to convene today with Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) as the new Speaker of the House and Harry Reid (Nev.)...
By Chris Cillizza | January 4, 2007; 06:52 AM ET | Comments (81)
The Friday Line: Endangered House Freshmen
Welcome to the last Line of 2006! Today The Fix takes a look at the 10 House seats most likely to change party control come November 2008. Yes, we know it's way early to be talking about House races --...
By Chris Cillizza | December 22, 2006; 05:30 AM ET | Comments (175)
House Democrats Extend '06 Gains to 30 Seats
House Democrats increased their 2006 election gains to 30 seats Tuesday, with former Rep. Ciro Rodriguez's (D) surprisingly convincing victory over Rep. Henry Bonilla (R) in a runoff election in Texas's massive 23rd District. With 85 percent of the vote...
By Chris Cillizza | December 12, 2006; 11:24 PM ET | Comments (59)
Texas 23rd: Another Democratic Pickup?
The 2006 election breathes perhaps its last breath today as voters head to the polls to choose between Rep. Henry Bonilla (R) and former Rep. Ciro Rodriguez (D) in Texas's 23rd district. The path to today's runoff began in 2002...
By Chris Cillizza | December 12, 2006; 11:39 AM ET | Comments (25)
Still No Winner in Florida's 13th District
News of aspiring 2008 presidential candidates may have pushed the just-concluded midterm elections off the front pages, but one 2006 story remains without an end -- the ongoing legal fight over the results in Florida's 13th Congressional District. At issue...
By Chris Cillizza | December 6, 2006; 05:00 AM ET | Comments (48)
The Line: A First Look at 2008 House Races
The 29-seat Democratic pick-up in the House of Representatives this year means that Republicans will have more opportunities for takeovers in 2008 than they did in 2006. Several of the seats Democrats won on Nov. 7 have a decided GOP...
By Chris Cillizza | December 1, 2006; 07:15 AM ET | Comments (112)
House Democrats Take Aim at Bonilla
Continuing the aggressive spending that won them 29 seats on Nov. 7, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is up with television ads in Texas's 23rd District where Rep. Henry Bonilla (R) and former Rep. Ciro Rodriguez (D) will square off...
By Chris Cillizza | November 30, 2006; 05:30 PM ET | Comments (10)
A Look at Leadership Changes at the Parties' Campaign Committees
Analyzing the results of election 2006 will surely continue for months, as journalists and political pros argue about just what it was that drove the Democrats to congressional majorities. But The Fix is forward looking by nature, so we'll turn...
By Chris Cillizza | November 28, 2006; 04:45 PM ET | Comments (19)
Hoyer Win a Blow to Pelosi
In a blow to incoming Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) beat out her chosen pick -- Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) -- for House Majority Leader. Hoyer's victory was considered a certainty as recently as...
By Chris Cillizza | November 16, 2006; 12:21 PM ET | Comments (138)
Democrats Choose Hoyer as Majority Leader
In a Democratic caucus vote, Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland defeated Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania in the race for majority leader in the U.S. House. Hoyer won decisively, 149 to 86. Click here for coverage from the Washington Post....
By washingtonpost.com Editors | November 16, 2006; 12:13 PM ET | Comments (3)
