Rep. Joe Walsh, Tea Party-Ill., is the most vulnerable incumbent in Congress, according to the National Journal. The political magazine compiled a list of the 75 districts most likely to change parties this year. Walsh’s district is third on the list, but in the two ranked higher, the incumbents are retiring rather than face a tough election.
According to the article:
Walsh complained recently that Democratic nominee Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq war veteran and former Veterans Affairs official, uses her service as a way to duck political issues. She would have to address issues more if Walsh didn't keep sticking his foot in his mouth. The seat gave President Obama more than 61 percent of the vote in 2008, and 45 percent of its residents are nonwhite. As one of Walsh's colleagues might say, the cake is baked.
(“The cake is baked” is a catchphrase of Rep. Michelle Bachmann, R-Minn.)
I don’t know where the National Journal got the statistic that 45 percent of the 8th’s District’s residents are non-white. The U.S. Census Bureau says the suburban district is 70 percent white, 16 percent Latino, 8 percent Asian and 4 percent African-American.
Perhaps because he has such a tough race, Walsh announced today that he won’t be attending the Republican National Convention in Tampa next month. Congressional leaders have been urging endangered members to stay home and campaign rather than waste time mingling with fellow partisans. That’s fine with Walsh, whose not much for mingling with Democrats or Republicans.
“The conventions are nothing more than an excuse to mingle with insiders and party with the elite,” Walsh said in a statement. “This district does not want just another insider to represent them; they want an independent who will fight for real solutions to the issues.”
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