Mississippi Victory Sends Another Pro-Working Family Member to Congress (fourth time this year)

[Omaha Steve]

http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/05/14/mississippi-victory-sends-another-pro-working-family-member-to-congress/

by Seth Michaels, May 14, 2008

For the fourth time this year, an AFL-CIO-endorsed candidate has won a special congressional election. Last night, Travis Childers won a striking (54 percent to 46 percent) victory in Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District (CD), by emphasizing the issues that matter most to working families.

The Mississippi AFL-CIO endorsed Childers, a Democrat, for the seat left open by the appointment of Republican Rep. Roger Wicker to the Senate. Childers pledged in his campaign to support affordable health care for working families and to fight bad trade deals that would cost Mississippi jobs. He also pledged to support the Employee Free Choice Act.

The seat had been held by Wicker for more than a decade, and the district voted for Bush by 19 points in 2000 and 25 points in 2004. Vice President Dick Cheney and a bevy of Republican leaders campaigned with Republican candidate Greg Davis. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and big-money special interests pumped millions of dollars into Davis’ campaign. Despite the resources expended and the seat’s strong Republican lean, Childers won the seat comfortably, with 54 percent of the vote. More than 100,000 voters turned out for the special election.

AFL-CIO-endorsed candidates have a perfect record in this year’s four special elections. On March 8, Illinois Democrat Bill Foster won in that state’s 14th District, a seat vacated by former Republican Speaker Dennis Hastert, who left for a career as a lobbyist. On March 11, union-endorsed André Carson won a special election to replace the late Rep. Julia Carson in Indiana’s 7th District. And on May 3, Don Cazayoux picked up the seat left open by former Republican Rep. Richard Baker, who retired to take a lobbyist job.

Yesterday’s election once again highlights how voters are electing into office candidates like Childers, who have put core economic issues—like health care, trade and the Employee Free Choice Act—at the top of their agenda. Childers’ election is a sign that voters are focused on working family issues, and regardless of party affiliation, they’ll work hard to elect lawmakers who will turn around America.

FULL story at link.

[Earth Bound Misfit]

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Posted in LBN by Pirate Smile

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3310182