extended AP wrap up on the 1st district in mississippi; I didn't realize that the mississippi dems tried to
smear davis as a clansman
they tie it all back to the national election in the last half of the
story.
Childers wins 1st District for Democrats
Democrats appeared to regain control of north Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District — for now.
Shortly after 9 p.m., with 80 percent of the precincts reporting, The Associated Press declared Prentiss County Chancery Clerk Travis Childers the winner over Southaven Mayor Greg Davis, a Republican, in a runoff.
The runoff was necessary after a special election last month produced no outright winner.
Childers’ apparent victory means he will serve the final months of a term vacated by Roger Wicker. Wicker, a Republican, was appointed to the U.S. Senate after former Sen. Trent Lott resigned in December.
But Childers, 50, will face Davis, 42, again in the November general election. That race will determine who replaces Wicker in January for a full two-year term.
Earlier tonight, Childers had been leading Davis in Lee, Tippah, Yalobusha and Choctaw counties. But Davis had a commanding lead over Childers in DeSoto County.
Voter turnout was higher than projected in DeSoto County, a Republican stronghold where Davis lives. Circuit Clerk Dale Thompson credited the turnout to local, bipartisan efforts to energize voters. She said another boost came from a campaign visit by GOP Vice President Dick Cheney, who urged support of Davis Monday.
Gov. Haley Barbour and Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, both Republicans, stumped for Davis in other parts of the district.
Meanwhile, Childers received help from fellow conservative Democrat Gene Taylor, a congressman from Bay St. Louis.
Political experts had said it was very possible for a Democrat to recapture the seat held by Wicker since 1994. Before he won the seat, Democrat Jamie Whitten had held it for more than 50 years.
The district also includes Oxford, Booneville, Tupelo and Columbus. And experts had said voters’ exhaustion with the war in Iraq and soaring gas prices could sway them from Republicans.
Voter turnout was mixed.
Lee County officials described turnout as light. In one of the county’s largest precincts, where 5,000 voters live, only 1,000 had voted by 4 p.m., they said.
Lowndes County officials said turnout there was better, though.
Democrats touted Childers’ win as evidence that voters are frustrated with Republicans.
“Democrats weren’t supposed to win this seat,†said Terry Cassreino, spokesman for the Mississippi Democratic Party and a campaign press secretary for Childers.
But Marty Wiseman, director of the Stennis Institute of Government at Mississippi State University, said “It’s only the beginning, not the end. The Republicans will try viciously to hold onto that seat or reclaim it.
“Davis is smart and a tireless campaigner. You have got to plan to work hard and take a punch if you play against Davis, because he plays to win.â€
If the district’s Democrats turn out heavily to support a Democratic presidential nominee in November, it could further boost Childers, he added.
The runoff drew national attention from both parties, especially since Republicans have lost two congressional seats this year.
Rep. Don Cazayoux's recent victory in a Louisiana special election to fill former Rep. Richard Baker's seat was the first Democratic victory in the Deep South this year. Republicans had held the Baton Rouge district for decades.
House seats in other Southern states also are up for grabs.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spent about $1.6 million on the Childers-Davis race and the National Republican Congressional Committee spent about $1 million.
Childers won 49 percent of the vote in the contest last month that made the runoff necessary, coming within several hundred votes of winning the seat outright. Davis received just more than 46 percent.
Voters in northeast Mississippi voted overwhelmingly for Republican President George W. Bush in 2004.
So Republicans tried to link Childers with Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, who holds more liberal views on issues such as abortion and gun rights. Childers is socially conservative. In recent ads, Democrats cast Davis as cozy with the Ku Klux Klan.
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