03/03/09
Inside the nation’s top 10 House races
By Aaron Blake
THE HILL – With all the fuss over open Senate seats, the House map has gotten lost in the shuffle in the first four months of the 2010 election cycle.
The special elections to replace Cabinet appointees Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) and Hilda Solis (D-Calif.) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) aren’t the only races being waged with the ink still wet on 2008. Several races in top districts are already forming with almost 20 months to go.
The Hill takes a look at the top 10 races that are already heating up:
1. Idaho-1
Former Rep. Bill Sali (R) has already signed up for a rematch with Rep. Walt Minnick (D) in what should be one of the most competitive races in the nation. But national Republicans are begging off the volatile Sali, noting the many other potential suitors lining up in the heavily conservative district and that Sali hasn’t said he will definitely run. Other GOPers to watch include Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, state Sen. John McGee, state GOP Chairman Norm Semanko, former state Controller Keith Johnson and Iraq veteran Vaughn Ward.
2008 result: Minnick 51, Sali 49
2. Arizona-5
Similar to Sali, former Maricopa County Treasurer David Schweikert (R) is looking to exact some revenge after a 2008 loss. Schweikert was heralded as one of the top GOP recruits in the country when he jumped in the race against then-freshman Rep. Harry Mitchell (D) last cycle, but he was beat up by both a tough, late primary. In the end, he lost a disappointing race by nine points. He told The Hill on Tuesday that he expects the primary field to be clearer this time around, but only time will tell. “I think there’s a sense of reality out there that, if you’re going to have a September primary, you can’t have something rough-and-tumble and then have a victory in November,” he said.
2008 result: Mitchell 53, Schweikert 44
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CQ Politics - ‘Pork’ Attacks
Posted in Congressional Quarterly:
In Arizona’s 5th District, Republican David Schweikert has illustrated his campaign to restrict government spending with the image of a chained piggy bank on his website, saying: "I will work to eliminate the terribly irresponsible and corrupting practice of earmarking or pork barrel spending."
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