With apologies to new Congressman-elect John Hall, the song going through my head today wasn't one of his old Orleans hits, but one of similar vintage from the Little River Band.
We all know now that the Dems had no losses in Governorships, none in the Senate, and none in the House (though a couple in Georgia were pretty darn close), the first time that's happened to any party in decades (not sure how long).
Even in good years, though, there are the unlucky ones...
In 1994, there were Republicans who lost while their party was romping; in 1974, Democrats who lost during Watergate. Not many in either case, but a few. What I'd like commenters to mention below is
incumbent Dems who lost Tuesday and who they were and where. Don't care what level of government, whether big-city mayor or Dullsgrad, Wyoming assistant dogcatcher, this diary's for them, the lonesome losers in a great year for Dems. (And incumbents only, please; we know the good ones like Grant and Massa who didn't quite pull it off, but weren't incumbents. I'm looking for folks who had the advantages of incumbency and, amazingly,
still lost!)
I'd contribute, but here in Western New York, we didn't have any incumbent Dems lose at all, and no open seats held by Democrats switched either at any level, as far as I know.
So who are your area's Lonesome Losers?
P.S. As it turns out, one incumbent Dem will most likely lose for Congress, William Jefferson in LA-02. However, he's going to lose to another Dem in Karen Carter, and he's had some major ethical problems, so he's kind of a special case. But I'll be happy to see him gone in January.