|
|
"A collaborative political resource." |
Campaign Battlefield May Grow
|
| Parent(s) |
Container
-
|
| Contributor | Joshua L. |
| Last Edited | Joshua L. Aug 10, 2005 09:24am |
| Category | News |
| News Date | Aug 10, 2005 09:00am |
| Description | WASHINGTON — Few places in America are more reliably Republican than the southeast Pennsylvania congressional district centered in Amish country and Lancaster County.
So it's little surprise that Republican Rep. Joe Pitts has faced only token opposition since he was first elected in 1996. In 2002, Democrats didn't even field an opponent to run against him.
Last year, Lois Herr, a former corporate executive, entered the race against Pitts just before the filing deadline. She drew one-third of the vote.
But this year, Herr is seeking a rematch, and her uphill bid against Pitts could mark a crucial test for liberal activists pressuring Democrats to radically revise their strategy for recapturing the House of Representatives.
An array of liberal Internet activists is urging Democrats to vastly expand the 2006 congressional battlefield by recruiting and funding challengers in dozens of districts that have been virtually conceded to the GOP, like the one represented by Pitts.
Those calls are drawing new energy from Democrat Paul Hackett's narrow defeat this month in a special election in an Ohio district where Republicans usually romp. Hackett's showing "proved that you could build the party if you pay attention to every race," said Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, founder of the popular liberal website the Daily Kos.
Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, has responded to the pressure from liberal activists by saying he intends next year to fund Democratic challengers for 50 Republican-held seats, about double the number the campaign committee backed in 2004. |
| Article | Read Article |
|
|
