Year of the endangered moderate

With just over two weeks to go until Election Day, the battle for control of the US House of Representatives is hinging on whether Democrats can defeat a handful of moderate Republican lawmakers who for years have managed to hold on to seats in Democratic-leaning districts.

Democrats need just six seats to gain a majority, and both parties are concentrating their resources on a small number of key races, several of which involve longtime GOP incumbents. Reps. Connie Morella of Maryland and Jim Leach of Iowa are locked in the toughest contests of their careers – indeed, the battle for Ms. Morella's seat is the most expensive House race in the country. Other moderate Republicans, such as Reps. Nancy Johnson and Rob Simmons of Connecticut, are also among Democrats' top targets.

In many cases, these GOP moderates have become more vulnerable this year because of redistricting, which has added either more Democratic voters to their districts, or voters who are less familiar with them in general. But since many of them have voting records more in line with Democrats than conservative members of their own party, their opponents are also trying to persuade voters to consider not just which candidate is best for the district, but which party should control Congress. For example, Morella's opponent, Democratic state Sen. Christopher Van Hollen, stresses that, regardless of Morella's positions on issues, a vote for her is a vote for the Republican leadership.

"What seems to be going on [in races like Morella's] is that the Democrats are trying to convince the voters ... you've got to vote for the Democrat so we can try to take over the House," says Sarah Chamberlain Resnick, executive director of the Republican Main Street Partnership, a moderate GOP group that is planning to launch an ad on behalf of Morella next week. "That's the biggest message that's going on over there, and that's what's hurting Connie the most."

Ironically, by targeting moderate Republicans, she adds, Democrats are also going after those members who are most willing to work across the aisle with them and are often critical players in forging compromise. The defeat of these incumbents could lead to a Congress that is even more polarized than it is today, she says, resulting in further legislative gridlock.

"The moderates are the ones who quite often reach out and are willing to work with the Democrats," says Ms. Resnick. "If we start losing these people who are willing to do that, then obviously we're going to have a huge problem in getting bills passed."

Yet Democrats argue that many of these lawmakers are not really as moderate as they would have voters believe. Although Morella ranks as the most liberal House Republican, according to National Journal, she still voted with her party 61 percent of the time in the first year of the Bush administration – including for the president's tax cut.

Page: 1 | 2