A Look At Some Hot Districts
A pickup of just six seats in November will give the Democrats a majority in the House of Representatives, and control of the House leadership and the powerful committee chairmanships. Here's a look at some of the key races that could tilt the House balance.
REVENGE
California, 27th District
Democrats are foaming at the mouth over the prospect of evicting Rep. Jim Rogan from office. Rogan stepped into the national spotlight last year as one of the House managers stoking the fires at the Clinton impeachment trial. Now, as the president prepares to finish out his final term, Rogan could find himself the one booted out of Washington against his will. His suburban Los Angeles seat is considered one of the most vulnerable in the House, and he faces a strong challenger in Democratic state Senator Adam Schiff.
And if California's March 7 primary is any indication, Rogan may be ripe for the picking. Despite a strong Republican turnout and the largest campaign war chest in Congress, he narrowly lost the primary's popular vote to Schiff. Rogan's already raised over $3.8 million, according to the National Republican Congressional Committee, but his cash reserves are down to $965,000, just a few thousand dollars more than his opponent. Schiff's brought in about $1.9 million, including donations from such local luminaries as Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen of Dreamworks fame.
Expect plenty of familiar arguments over the Clinton impeachment to be revived in what's sure to be one of the most bitter, expensive and talked-about races of the year.
BETRAYAL
New York, 1st District
After bolting the Republican Party last summer and christening himself a born-again Democrat, Long Island Rep. Michael Forbes is at the top of the GOP hit list. A member of the infamous Republican freshman class of 1994 and a onetime Newt Gingrich loyalist, Forbes jumped ship after charging Republican leaders with being "tone deaf" to the concerns of ordinary Americans. Brookhaven Supervisor and fireworks kingpin Felix Grucci has won the contract to take out the turncoat congressman.
But Forbes is also getting the cold shoulder from some of his newfound Democratic brethren, who see the pro-life representative as a member of the family in name only. Several key local party leaders are withholding their endorsements, and Suffolk County legislator Bill Holst, who lost to Forbes in this race in 1998 (when Forbes ran as a Republican) is mounting a challenge. Holst plans to seek support from liberal Democrats and abortion rights groups in this contentious intramural fight.
WRESTLING WITH THE ISSUES
Cnnecticut, 1st District
It's Wrestlemania in the Constitution State, where WWF veteran Bob Backlund is trying to follow the wide path cleared by former sparring partner Jesse Ventura to elected office.
Backlund advocates smaller government and says, "Helping people is my number one issue." But he hasn't let politics cramp his style. Between campaign appearances at Bowl-A-Rama in Newington and the Friendly Tap in Cumberland, Rhode Island, he's still found time to show up regularly on WWF Smackdown!
Though he's tangled with the likes of Hulk Hogan and the Iron Sheik, Backlund may be in for the fight of his life against incumbent John Larson, a freshman Democrat and former state Senate president. The district is the most heavily Democratic in Connecticut and went for President Clinton by a 29-point margin in 1996.
VALLEY BOYS
California, 15th District
Smack in the heart of Silicon Valley, California's 15th District offers Democrats a golden opportunity to gain ground in the Golden State. With popular Republican incumbent Tom Campbell challenging Diane Feinstein for the U.S. Senate, the seat will be open, and Democrats are eager to fill it with one of their own. And the results of California's open primary suggest they have a good chance of claiming this Democratic-leaning district, where President Clinton won by 18 points in 1996.
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COOK's GOOSE COOKED
Utah, 2nd District
It's the end of the line for one of the more colorful characters in the House, Utah's Merrill Cook. Dogged by accusations of erratic behavior, Cook lost his bid for a third term to a political novice, becoming just the second Capitol Hill incumbent - and the first Republican - to lose in a primary this campaign season.
The combustible congressman, who also owns an explosives business, was soundly defeated in Utah's GOP primary by 35-year-old Internet business owner Derek Smith, who now faces a tough battle with Democrat Jim Matheson, the son of a former governor.
Cook had tried the patience of state Republicans for years. In April, he was ordered by a jury to pay a former campaign consultant almost $175,000 in fees dating from his victorious 1996 race. The judge later added interest and legal costs raising Cook's bill to more than half-a-million dollars.
The lawsuit was hardly the first public embarassment for Cook, who once tried to dump the GOP and launch a new party, and is prone to rambling news conferences and profanity-laced tirades.
There have also been allegations of tape-recorded phone sex and questions about the congressman's mental stability.
After being fired by Cook, former chief-of-staff Janet Jenson accused him of delusional behavior.
"Merrill has taken up permanent residence in whacko land," Jenson wrote in an office e-mail. "If he asks you to fax his underwear to the speaker's office, please just do it."
Despite his primary night setback, Cook, 54, insists he's not done with politics. "This guy's not finished yet," he said.
FUN IN THE SUN
Florida, 8th District
Anti-Clinton stalwart Bill McCollum, the ten-term GOP incumbent, has put this seat surrounding Disney World in play as he pursues a Senate run to replace the retiring Connie Mack Jr. Democrats are high on their candidate, county clerk Linda Chapin, and hope she can stir up some waves in this normally tranquil Florida region. Chapin has won praise - and, more importantly, fund-raising help - from key national Democrats like House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Patrick Kennedy (R.I.).
But the GOP isn't about to let McCollum's seat go without a fight. Despite an influx of Democratic-leaning Hispanic voters, the district remains solidly in the GOP camp, with over 20,000 more Republicans than Democrats. Bill Clinton lost here in both 1992 and 1996, and Republican Jeb Bush was a big winner n the 1994 governor's race. And the national GOP's expected to spend freely on their candidate - either state Rep. Bill Sublette or attorney Ric Keller. Keller told the Miami Herald: "The Republican nominee is going to have so much money behind him that he could put it in shoe boxes."