Senator Alan Dixon (D-IL) was defeated in the Democratic Primary in 1992

[Hippo_Tron]

He lost to Carol Moseley Braun mostly over a single issue and that was his vote for Clarence Thomas. My point is to remind people that serious primary challenges DID happen before the netroots existed. It seems like everyone is acting as though the Lieberman/Lamont race is completely unprecedented.

[Awsi Dooger]

1. Hofeld might have been the closer parallel to Lamont

That was a 3-way primary race. Correct, it was all about Dixon's vote for Clarence Thomas, but Moseley-Braun was more or less the beneficiary of Al Hofeld's big spending to knock Dixon out. He was wealthy and ran constant ads mocking "Al the Pal" Dixon. Hofeld only received something like 20%, but no way Moseley-Braun wins the primary if Hofeld is not in it. She beat Dixon by 2 or 3 percent, winning big in Chicago and among the women's vote while Dixon and Hofeld carved up the male vote and the numbers in the southern part of the state.

Not sure it worked out in our favor. Fitgerald defeated Moseley-Braun in '98 more or less due to forfeit on Moseley-Braun's part, all the ethics questiuons. If we had that seat from '98 to '04 the senate dynamics would have been different. For instance, we would have had the edge 51-49 in 2001, even before Jeffords switched to independent.

One thing about Al Dixon; he gave a gracious concession speech, with a theme in complete contrast to Lieberman: "I spent a lifetime in Democratic politics, and I spent that lifetime in Democratic politics playing by the rules. . . . And I said in this primary campaign that I would support the winner, that I would endorse the winner, and that I would vote for the winner. . . . I accept that result just as fully as I accepted 29 good results for Alan Dixon in the past."
(From a 3/18/1992 Chicago Tribune story.)

[skipos]

2. That last quote is good. Can anyone imagine Lieberman saying that?

Neither can I.

[Hippo_Tron]

3. That makes sense

But I'm just saying that primary challenges do happen. And I think in the end it probably worked out in our favor. If we had been in the majority, Jeffords might have stayed a Republican. And if he hadn't been defeated, we may never have gotten Obama. Regardless of your views on Obama, he has been an excellent fundraiser for Democrats.

[Awsi Dooger]

4. That's an excellent point about how things evolve

Jeffords probably would have remained a Republican. And no telling if Dixon wins another term in '98.

Actually, there would be more primary challenges but sometimes the unpopular incumbent gets the hint and pulls out rather than face one. Fitzgerald was an example of that when the party favored Jack Ryan. Plus I can think of Judy Martz in Montana governor's race in 2004. She bailed out under pressure and then Schweitzer defeated the chosen replacement nominee.