“Republicans line up and fight [for the seat],” he said, adding, “I get really tired of the flawed-candidate excuse.”
The bloody-primary argument could hold some water in Mississippi, where Davis, the popular mayor of Southaven, the state’s fastest-growing city, had to go negative in a narrow primary win over former Tupelo Mayor Glenn McCullough (R). But Republicans have had six weeks and a close-shave election to work out their differences since then.
Davis said the one thing GOPers could use to explain a loss would be low special-election turnout — a common complaint.
“I hope they don’t blame it on a flawed candidate down here,” he said with a laugh. “If there’s anything to be said — I don’t think it’s indicative for the national party if, by chance, we lose.”
Davis said he thought Childers had topped out on his special-election support three weeks ago and that raising turnout would be key. Childers beat Davis 49-46, and only missed a clean victory that would have avoided a runoff by about 400 votes.
If there’s one post-game analysis for a GOP loss, it will likely be geography. Childers has found success as the well-known longtime Prentiss County Chancery Clerk, while Davis has less broad appeal as the mayor of a Memphis suburb in the very northwest corner of the 1st district.
Childers, who has been trying to fight the GOP’s attempts to nationalize the race and attach him to Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), said the race is a local one and that he doesn’t believe it’s necessarily a harbinger for Republicans.
“They’re scared, and they’ve lost two elections,” Childers said. “I really don’t understand the national implications, that they feel like if they lose this seat it spells doom and gloom for them in November. But if it does spell doom and gloom, it’s their own making.”
The GOP feels its strategy of emphasizing Childers’s party affiliation and attacking his credibility has made headway. The former strategy will be put to the test Tuesday.
“Republicans are committed to winning in Mississippi and we believe the momentum is on our side,” said a spokesman for the NRCC, Ken Spain.
DCCC spokesman Doug Thornell said the amount of money the GOP has sunk into a district that voted 62 percent for President Bush “speaks volumes about their woeful candidate recruitment and the strength of Travis Childers.”
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