Spotlight: More In Michigan?
Today's House Race Hotline Spotlight:
Which medium-sized state did Dems hold four GOP members of the delegation under 55% without much support from the DCCC?
-- It's Michigan, the one untapped resource left for the Dems in their bid to expand their Congressional majority.
-- Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI 07) didn't even win a majority of the vote despite running against an underfunded opponent. And speculation abounds that ex-Rep. Joe Schwarz (R) could run as a Dem against him in '08.
-- Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R-MI 09) didn't fare much better against liberal talk show host Nancy Skinner (D). He won only 51% of the vote - the first time he's won by a single-digit margin.
-- And Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI 11), while in better shape, only has $38K left in his campaign account. He'll have to fill the coffers before the '08 cycle to inoculate himself from a tough challenge.
-- Some of the results were due to the sour environment nationwide for the GOP. But the warning signs are there. If the GOP isn't careful, could MI be the '08 version of PA? [JOSH KRAUSHAAR]
The 8th District with Mike Rogers would be competitive (conservative Livingston County is balanced out by liberal Ingham County), except for Rogers' always-huge amount of cash. Of course money alone didn't save Nancy Johnson so who knows.