6.06.2006
House at Stake, Midterm Election Gets Early Start (NYimes.com)
By ADAM NAGOURNEY
Published: June 6, 2006
WASHINGTON, June 5 — Congressional campaigns have begun early and with unusual intensity this year in many districts across the country, reflecting a consensus in both parties that Republicans could lose control of the House and perhaps the Senate.
A special election in a bedrock Republican Congressional district in San Diego on Tuesday — for the seat left vacant when Representative Randy Cunningham resigned after pleading guilty to corruption charges — has sharpened the early intensity and could provide the clearest evidence so far about whether Democrats can capitalize on the unsettled political climate.
The National Republican Congressional Committee, fearful that a loss or meager victory could further rattle the party and give Democrats a huge boost, has poured at least $4.5 million into the district. And it has enlisted President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Laura Bush to make automated telephone calls to voters, putting the prestige of the White House on the line.
But even for candidates who will not face the voters for five months, the campaign is shaping up as not only the most contested midterm election in over a decade, but also the most substantive.
In a typical election year, intense campaign activity normally does not begin until around Labor Day.
Democrats and Republicans said they were struck by the level of political activity now going on. Television advertisements have been shown by candidates in at least five districts, party officials said, and there are radio and Internet advertisements popping up around the country. Moveon.org, the liberal advocacy group, began broadcasting hard-hitting advertisements attacking Republican incumbents in four states nearly three months ago and is about to start a second round on Thursday, officials with the organization said.
(More ... House at Stake, Midterm Election Gets Early Start - New York Times) ¶ 21:11
Published: June 6, 2006
WASHINGTON, June 5 — Congressional campaigns have begun early and with unusual intensity this year in many districts across the country, reflecting a consensus in both parties that Republicans could lose control of the House and perhaps the Senate.
A special election in a bedrock Republican Congressional district in San Diego on Tuesday — for the seat left vacant when Representative Randy Cunningham resigned after pleading guilty to corruption charges — has sharpened the early intensity and could provide the clearest evidence so far about whether Democrats can capitalize on the unsettled political climate.
The National Republican Congressional Committee, fearful that a loss or meager victory could further rattle the party and give Democrats a huge boost, has poured at least $4.5 million into the district. And it has enlisted President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Laura Bush to make automated telephone calls to voters, putting the prestige of the White House on the line.
But even for candidates who will not face the voters for five months, the campaign is shaping up as not only the most contested midterm election in over a decade, but also the most substantive.
In a typical election year, intense campaign activity normally does not begin until around Labor Day.
Democrats and Republicans said they were struck by the level of political activity now going on. Television advertisements have been shown by candidates in at least five districts, party officials said, and there are radio and Internet advertisements popping up around the country. Moveon.org, the liberal advocacy group, began broadcasting hard-hitting advertisements attacking Republican incumbents in four states nearly three months ago and is about to start a second round on Thursday, officials with the organization said.
(More ... House at Stake, Midterm Election Gets Early Start - New York Times) ¶ 21:11
