WP political blog, "The Fix," by Chris Cillizza
08/ 3/2007
The Friday Line: Top 2008 Recruits
....Seven months into the cycle, both Democrats and Republicans have scored a handful of recruiting coups and met with their fair share of failures as well. House recruiting is ongoing so don't take the list below as a comprehensive look at all the best recruits....
***
Kay Barnes, Democrat for Missouri's 6th District: Barnes has long been on the wish list of Democratic strategists who believe Rep. Sam Graves (R) has gotten a free pass since being elected to this northwestern Missouri seat in 2000. Barnes drew praise from both parties during her two terms as mayor of Kansas City and as a result of that service is a well known commodity in the district's dominant media market. Before Democrats get too excited, however, remember that President Bush carried the 6th district with 57 percent in 2004.
John Boccieri, Democrat for Ohio's 16th District: On paper, Boccieri is an ideal candidate to take on Rep. Ralph Regula (R) in the 16th. A sitting state senator, Boccieri played semi-pro baseball before joining the Air Force. The question is whether Boccieri will run be running against Regula, who has held the district since 1972, or for an open seat. Regula, who is 82, is at the head of almost every list of potential retirements we've seen. Regardless, Boccieri, who raised $156,000 between April 1 and June 30, will have a good chance to come to Congress....
Steve Driehaus, Democrat for Ohio's 1st District: The minority whip in the Ohio state House, Driehaus is the candidate Democrats believe will -- finally -- defeat Rep. Steve Chabot (R) in the swing 1st District. Driehaus is off to a sound start, raising $166,000 in his first three months as a candidate and banking $157,000. Geography is everything for Driehaus; his electoral base is in the western part of the district and Democrats believe he can cut into Chabot's margins there. Chabot has been perennially targeted since winning the seat in 1994 and always manages to win....
Jim Himes, Democrat for Connecticut's 4th District: Fundraising isn't everything in politics but it's close. So, when Himes, the chairman of the Greewich Democratic Committee, showed $353,000 raised in the 2nd quarter we were impressed. Yes, we know it's not that difficult to raise money in the wildly affluent 4th District, but it is still a very solid sum. Himes has cleared the primary field, another positive sign for national Democrats. Rep. Chris Shays (R) is the last Republican House member left in the upper northeast thanks to his willingness to buck his own party and the costliness of the New York City media market that covers the district. It looks like the incumbent is in for another tough and costly race in 2008. Can he withstand a continually deteriorating national environment?
Linda Stender, Democrat for New Jersey's 7th District....
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