Despite the Democrats extraordinary efforts to take Ohio’s Fifth Congressional District, and recent polls showing a close race there, with 98% report, Republican Bob Latta won with 57% of the vote. Looks like false attack ads couldn’t sway the district to the Democrats…
We also won in Virginia’s 1st Congressional District, where Democrats had recruited a nationally acclaimed school teacher and decorated Iraq war veteran. It was a conservative district, and the DCCC chose not to meddle in that race, but they’d talked up their chances for victory in that race, but ultimately the conservative message for lower taxes and securing our borders prevailed.
While the left will say these were races the GOP should have won anyway, I think it’s important to note the attitude towards the OH-05 race prior to the election.
Latta campaign manager Matthew D. Parker says both parties see the contest as “a key battleground for the 2008 presidential election.” He views the Democratic push for Weirauch as “a test run to get Hillary Clinton into the White House.”
“I think it’s a bellwether for Ohio and a bellwether for the country,” agrees the dean of Ohio’s Democratic congressional delegation, Marcy Kaptur of Toledo, who backs Weirauch. She calls the race a “tossup” and predicts the side that gets the most supporters to the polls in a low-turnout special election will win.
Let’s say that it is true, that OH-05 was a bellwether for Ohio and the country… then we can’t ignore the fact that in 2006, Governor Ted Strickland, a Democrat, won the district with 55% and Sherrod Brown, also a Democrat also won the district in his U.S. Senate race.
But, there is something that bothers me. The liberal nutroots put a lot of money into the race… ridiculously out-raising the conservative rightroots. Despite various plugs from this and other blog, only $1,908 was raised from 21 donors on SlateCard. Meanwhile the liberal netroots raised $15,605 from 320 donors via ActBlue for Latta’s opponent, Robin Weirauch. While it’s good that the conservative message trumps liberal cash, I do wonder why the right pales in the comparison to the left when it comes to online fundraising. I hope the rightroots can unite in 2008…
So, we won tonight… the polls said OH-05 was close, but we got it in a landslide. Democrats certainly appeared confident about it, but we prevailed in the end. But, let’s not get our hopes up with all this talk about a bellwether for 2008. We can win back the majority in both Houses of Congress, but we’ll have to win them one race at a time. We can win the White House in 2008, but we have to be united behind the nominee.
Let’s fight to win. The Democrats may be confident about 2008, but they were confident about OH-05 and VA-01, too…
UPDATE: More from David All at Slatecard.
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