'Conservative' Democrat's victory no surprise (OneNewsNow.com)

'Conservative' Democrat's victory no surprise

Jim Brown - OneNewsNow - 5/14/2008 11:55:00 AM

GOP and Democratic logos A GOP pollster says the victory in Mississippi yesterday by Democrat Travis Childers in a special congressional election to replace Republican Roger Wicker, is likely a foreshadowing of things to come in November.

In Tuesday's runoff election, Childers defeated Republican candidate Greg Davis, the mayor of Southaven, by a 54%-46% margin, winning 58 percent of the vote in Lee County, the district's largest. Democrats captured the seat despite the fact Mississippi political heavyweights like former Senator Trent Lott, Senator Thad Cochran, Senator Roger Wicker, and Governor Haley Barbour campaigned hard for Davis. In recent days, even Vice President Dick Cheney held a rally for Davis.

Clemson University political scientist Dave Woodard says the Davis loss was not a total surprise. As he explains, the Magnolia State is "a little different" in terms of its Democrats.

"They're very conservative and throw-backs to the old Democratic Party," he describes; "very much pro-defense, that kind of stuff." Consequently, says Woodard, they find themselves "not very comfortable" in the present Democratic Party.

"[I]t's one of the few states in the South that still has a very conservative Democratic Party," says the pollster. "I believe that [Roger] Wicker was the first Republican elected from that district when he won it in [19]94, and so it's really not unusual to think that a Democrat who spoke the same conservative language could get elected."

Childers' victory now gives the Democrats a 37-seat advantage over Republicans in the House. Woodard views yesterday's result as part of a larger trend.

"I do think it's an ominous sign for Republicans in the fall," he shares. "[I]t's sort of a repeat of what happened in 2006 that conservative Democrats are able to beat them in southern states. Like Virginia with Jim Webb, and then this race in the House. And I think it portends that there's going to be some really competitive races across the South for the House."

Woodard believes voters were influenced heavily by economic concerns and discontent with President Bush, whose approval ratings are the lowest of any president since World War II. He notes that when people are hurting economically they often punish the politicians in office regardless of what party they're affiliated with.

Yesterday's runoff in Mississippi was to fill Wicker's former House seat until November, when both Childers and Davis will compete again for the full two-year term. Wicker was appointed by Governor Barbour to the Senate seat vacated when Trent Lott retired.