We are in a street fight down here. In the special election on May 13, Travis Childers has an oppurtunity to lay claim for the Democratic Party a congresssional district that voted 62% for Bush in 2004. He is up against Republican Greg Davis who has offered nothing but vicious attack ads.
Childers came within less than 400 votes of closing the deal in the special election, drawing 49.6% of the vote. The seat was vacated by Roger Wicker, a typical Republican empty suit, when he was hand picked by Governor Haley Barbour to take over Trent Lott's seat. Trent Lott retired just days before the new lobby laws took effect that would have barred him from the industry for two years.
Due to a poorly worded state law, Haley Barbour was able to postpone the special elction until the November cycle. You can read about all of this next part here. He wanted to give a longer incumbency to Wicker, who was really only known to the voters of MS-01. For the vacated Wicker race he opted to a hold a special election outisde of the primary for November. On the day of our presidential primary race we voted in the primary for the November regularly scheduled election. Then we had a runoff for both parties three weeks after that. Then on April 22 we voted again, this time for the special election, where all candidates were back on the ballot. Travis received 49.6% of the vote to the 46% of Greg Davis. Haley was afraid of running a general election with Obama on the ticket so he bent the laws to make sure we only had a primary when we voted in the presidential race. Now we are having the runoff for the special election. Their is real voter fatuige.
The NRCC has attempted to bankrupt themselves in this race using around a cool million in an R+10 district of their paltry cash on hand. All of their money has gone for negative campaign ads and negative fliers. I have not seen one positive ad on Greg Davis, nor heard one policy proposal. The DCCC had spent around 1.3 million, but have around 45 million on hand. It has turned in to a combination of a street fight and a poker game.
I am sure you have heard about some of vile attack ads being run. There was one where Greg Davis, the mayor of Southaven, accused Childers of running shoddy nursing homes. Nevermind that it had not committed one a violation, nor had one bad mark against it by the watchdog agencies. Ina another ad they try their old standby in Mississippi, the race card. They have an ad that accuses Travis Childers of being associated with Barack Obama and the Rev. Wright. They said that Obama had endorsed Childers. This was not true. The Obama campaign sent out an email to all of us on his list offering his phonebanking tools to help Childers in MS-01. The email came to me on election day, hardly an endorsement. We covered all fo that on our blog if you want to go back and read. All of that does not matter, the point of the ad is to call on the old demons of Mississippi to rise again, period. The ads have even had a negative effect on some Republicans who are now supporting Childers. Former Republican nominee for Governor in 1987 Jack Reed is supporting Childers saying that Davis has gone to far with his attack ads.
here is on such vile ad from our friends at "Freedom Watch"
and one more:
Childers is an economic populist. Travis Childers is for fair trade, childrens health care, ending the war, and does not take a dime from the oil lobby. He came from the working class and wants to fight for the working class in Washington. His father passed away when he was 16. Travis had take a job to help him Mother pay the house note, while he finished his education. he understands the plight of the working class in Mississippi, and it is bad here as anywhere.
The guys over at Swing State Project endorsed Travis Childers, their first endorsement since the Tester race in Montana. They raised close to $3,00o for Travis and we thank them. They understand the ramifications to the NRCC if they lose this race. We have already won IL-14 and LA-06 this special election season. Let making it 3-3 in Mississippi.
Childers spoke tonight at a rally in Pontotoc. Pontotoc is close to Tupelo one of the two main population centers in MS-01. Childers had this to say:
* Dick Cheney is coming next Monday to campaign for his opponent. Mike Huckabee has already been down to help fundraise.
* Robocalls are being made by the opposition, from none other than Mr. 29% himself, George W. Bush. Robocalls are also being made with a recording of Mike Huckabee.
* Travis expressed his shock at how serious the White House is about keeping this seat. The GOP is throwing the kitchen sink at this one. He blasted Cheney and Bush for their imcompetence.
* Childers refuses to accept money from the oil lobby or the pharmaceutical lobby, unlike his opponent.
The GOP is desperate. They have already sent Huckabee down to help fundraise and mobilize the evangelicals. Monday we are to be graced by Darth Vader himself, Dick Cheney. He is coming to campaign for Davis. The DCCC has been great, but their money is going to ads and mailers. What Travis needs is money to get out the vote. The candidate who is best able to get out their vote will win.
If you have any extra change, please help us turn Mississippi blue and Haley Barbour red. We have raised half our goal at Cotton Mouth. Give Mississippi some love Kosacks and lets win a bigger majority.
Update: I don't the exact numbers but Travis said that recent internal polling had him with a 4 point lead.
