Election: GOP sees ‘values’ get trumped

The Clarion-Ledger Editorial, 5/25/8

The reaction of the national press to Democrat Travis Childers’ special election victory over Republican nominee Greg Davis has been nothing short of stunning.

The supposed novelty of a Democrat carrying a majority-white congressional district in rural Mississippi – the gold buckle of the Bible belt and a usually reliable fire engine Red state – has the TV talking heads turning back flips to explain it.

Despite the long history of Democratic workhorse Jamie Whitten as the region’s congressman, the district is solidly mainstream conservative. President George W. Bush won it with 59 percent of the vote in 2000 and with 62 percent in 2004.