The Race for the House

By CJP | October 23, 2008

We all know we’ve got a presidential election on November 4th, but guess who else is on the ballot? Every member of the U.S. House of Representatives.  Not all 435 members have opposition of course, but with a year that’s likely to be a “change election,” more incumbents than usual are in trouble.

Also, since the out party tends to see more retirements after a loss (like 2006), Republicans have 29 open seats to defend, while Democrats have only six.

To see if your member of Congress is in for a fight, and to see who your alternative might be, check out Congressional Quarterly’s exhaustively complete listing of all House races in play and how they’re going at the moment.

We’ll be profiling the most noteworthy through Election Day, but we’ll give a quick note on the unexpected turn in Rep. Michele Bachmann’s reelection. The Republican from Minnesota has been a mainstay on the cable circuit in 2008, defending the Rs and attacking the Ds like any good team player. She may have gone a bridge too far, however, when she appeared on “Hardball” last Friday, and accused the House leadership of being “un-American.” Donations flooded in for her opponent, Elwyn Tinkleberg, and transformed him from a Democrat with a goofy name to a serious contender for a House seat. CQ’s call on the race is HERE, and the “Hardball” Bachmann probably wishes she’d never gone on is here:

Topics: Congress, Ladies of the House

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