LAT: Republicans See Few Safe House Seats

[DeepModem Mom]

House GOP Incumbents Try New Stride to Beat Midterm Challenges
Strong challenges have several incumbents running hard, and sometimes stumbling.
By Janet Hook, Times Staff Writer
August 2, 2006

....When it comes to hardball campaigning, however, (Deborah Pryce, R., OH) is something of a rookie. She has not faced a serious challenge since she was first elected to Congress in 1992. But that has abruptly changed this year — for her and for some other House Republicans accustomed to coasting to reelection.

With the political winds blowing squarely against the GOP, several senior lawmakers are facing unusually serious challenges that have forced them to dust off campaign tools that, in some cases, are a bit rusty.

In California, Rep. John T. Doolittle (R-Roseville) has agreed to debate a Democratic opponent for the first time in more than a decade. Rep. Richard W. Pombo (R-Tracy) has expanded his campaign staff beyond what had been a tight inner circle — and spent more money in the process.

In Connecticut, GOP Rep. Nancy L. Johnson, in her 24th year in Congress, has already aired five expensive television ads. In New York, supporters of Republican Rep. James T. Walsh of Syracuse goofed at one event by distributing 4-year-old campaign literature.

With Democrats needing a 15-seat gain to win control of the House, most of their top targets are junior GOP lawmakers or perennially vulnerable incumbents in swing districts. But they almost assuredly will have to beat more-entrenched Republicans like Pryce to win a majority....

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-house2aug02,0,1042885.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[Totallybushed]

1. Yet all the polls will

mean nothing come the Diebold.

Or maybe they've got a new scheme now. I'd hate for the Democrats to be like the generals who always fight the last war. We need to get ahead of the curve on dirty election tricks. Let's not fight the last election theft, let's fight the one THAT IS ONGOING RIGHT NOW!!!

[gasperc]

2. and this how we'll beat them

challenging the unchallenged who havbe built a cocoon around themselves that has completely blinded them to the interests of their constiuents. Here in the MI-9 the incumbent is lashing out irrationally at his republican challenger. Thank you mr Knollenburg for softening up those voters, identifying them for us and helping us crush you in November