Retirements Give GOP Election Planners a Month of Troubles

[babylonsister]

Retirements Give GOP Election Planners a Month of Troubles
By Greg Giroux | 7:35 PM; Sep. 17, 2007


The Republican Party’s effort to reclaim the congressional majorities it lost in the 2006 midterm elections was never going to be easy. But the past month has been a particularly rough patch for Republican campaign officials, with Minnesota Rep. Jim Ramstad’s announcement Monday that he will not run in 2008 the latest in a string of almost uniformly unpleasant news for the GOP.

In just the past 33 days, seven members of the House and Senate — all Republicans — have said that they will not seek re-election next year. In most of these cases, the retirements practically guarantee that Republican strategists will have to fight much harder in defending these newly open seats than they would have if the incumbents were pursuing new terms.

In total, seven House Republicans and three Senate Republicans have confirmed that they will not be defending their seats in 2008. Included in their ranks are Virginia Sen. John W. Warner, respected across party lines for his expertise on national security issues; Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, whose strong opposition to President Bush’s handling of the Iraq war accented his reputation as a party maverick; and Illinois Rep. J. Dennis Hastert, the former House Speaker.

There are no Senate Democratic retirements so far, and none are expected; moreover, the only two House Democrats who are not running for re-election — Colorado’s Mark Udall and Maine’s Tom Allen — are instead staging competitive bids to capture Republican-held Senate seats, and they represent House districts that the Democrats are strongly favored to retain.

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http://www.cqpolitics.com/2007/09/retirements_give_gop_election.html

[displacedtexan]

1. I predict Pete Domenici will retire.

First elected in 1972.

I predict this because he told my neighbor he was considering retiring.

[babylonsister]

2. I've heard that rumor as well. nt

[auburngrad82]

3. Back during the Cunningham and Abramoff scandals this was predicted

I seem to remember estimates that up to 30 repugs would retire to avoid ties to the scandals. This might just be part of that, considering that Cunningham is still in the news.



Liberal bumper stickers

[kenfrequed]

4. Yes!!!

Farewell Ramstad.

As a Minnesotan I look forward to our state going even more blue than it currently is!