Republican Seat in Jeopardy in Miss.

There is a contest Tuesday that is far more important than the (meaningless) West Virginia primary today. It is the second round of voting in Mississippi's first congressional district.

On April 22nd, Travis Childers (D) defeated Greg Davis (R) in the first round of voting in this highly conservative district. In that round, Childers received 49.6% of the vote, while Davis received 46.3% of the vote. But neither candidate got the required 50% so there is a runoff tonight with no minor candidates.

So why is this important? Well, as I mentioned in a previous entry, the Republicans have been losing almost every special election thus far, including several in traditionally conservative strongholds. Another loss in a conservative deep south stronghold could prove to be a huge psychological loss for the party, who is already expected to lose many seats in Congress.

This deeply worries the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), so they have poured millions of dollars into the state. Even so, their spending has been dwarfed by their Democratic counterpart who has been whooping them in fundraising.

This race is so important that the NRCC has had President George W. Bush and presumptive Republican nominee John McCain send out an automated message to voters of that district. Vice President Dick Cheney and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour stumped for Davis in recent weeks.

The GOP has once again tried to associate their opponent with Barack Obama, and some think that they are invoking the issue of race, which generally plays in the south. In a way, this is a litmus test to see what will work in November, both in the congressional and presidential elections.

Republicans are desperate for a win after being dominated by the Democrats so far in the special elections. If the Democrats pick up yet another conservative seat, it is a very bad sign for the Republicans.