Transcript
With the big picture of what's going on in the congressional races around the country, Todd Zwillich joins us from Capital News Connection. He's on the line in our studio in Washington, D.C. Todd, what are the key races you're watching today?
TODD ZWILLICH:
Hey John, well there are 435 of them. So let's talk about all of them. Just, just kidding.
JOHN HOCKENBERRY:
[LAUGHS] You're such a chucklehead.
TODD ZWILLICH:
[LAUGHS] I've boiled it down to just a few that I think are interesting. Let's take it right to left real quick, East Coast to West Coast. Connecticut 4th District is Chris Shays, the Republican. He is in a dead heat with a guy named Jim Himes. If Shays loses, there are no Republican members of the House left in all of New England. He's the last one. Indiana, 3rd District —
JOHN HOCKENBERRY:
Wow, that's huge!
TODD ZWILLICH:
Yeah.
JOHN HOCKENBERRY:
Oh, that's definitely — wow.
TODD ZWILLICH:
No, not a single one, if he loses.
JOHN HOCKENBERRY:
Wow. Okay, keep going, keep going, buddy.
TODD ZWILLICH:
Indiana, 3rd District, is Mark Souder. He's a seven-term incumbent. He's in a tight race with a conservative Democrat, a guy named Michael Montagano.
Then you've got the Minnesota 6th District is Michelle Bachmann. She's a freshman, one-term incumbent. She was way ahead until she made some comments on MSNBC suggesting that the media investigate members of Congress who have anti-American ideas. After she did that, money poured into her opponent, and now they're in a dead heat. We've talked before about Lee Terry in the 2nd District of Nebraska.
JOHN HOCKENBERRY:
Right.
TODD ZWILLICH:
He's a little bit ahead, but Obama's been pouring money into that district 'cause he can take an electoral vote out of there. So Terry is fighting hard.
JOHN HOCKENBERRY:
And that's the — that's the state where it's split; it's not winner-take-all in Nebraska.
TODD ZWILLICH:
Exactly.
JOHN HOCKENBERRY:
Okay.
TODD ZWILLICH:
Exactly.
JOHN HOCKENBERRY:
Keep going, keep going.
TODD ZWILLICH:
Wyoming is a neck-in-neck race between Republican Cynthia Lummis and Gary Trauner, who's a Democrat. If that went Democratic, well, imagine an at-large seat in Wyoming going Democratic, Dick Cheney's home state.
JOHN HOCKENBERRY:
That is amazing, that is amazing.
TODD ZWILLICH:
Yeah. And then one state in Washington — one race in Washington, I think, that's interesting is the 8th District. Dave Reichert is a four- or five-term incumbent against a woman named Darcy Burner. He was way ahead but she surged recently, and she now leads by four to five points. So he could lose that seat.
JOHN HOCKENBERRY:
Is there a congressional race that is a bellwether for the national White House race — anything like that?
[OVERTALK]
TODD ZWILLICH:
For the nat — you know, some people say it's Souder in Indiana because Obama —
JOHN HOCKENBERRY:
Souder in Indiana?
TODD ZWILLICH:
Yeah, 'cause Obama's fighting so hard for Indiana. I think [?] for a lot of them
JOHN HOCKENBERRY:
And remind us again where that district is in Indiana?
TODD ZWILLICH:
I beg your pardon?
JOHN HOCKENBERRY:
Where is that district in Indiana?
TODD ZWILLICH:
That is the Souder — da-da-da — I have it —that's the 3rd District, Mark Souder
JOHN HOCKENBERRY:
It's Evansville, right?
TODD ZWILLICH:
Yeah.
JOHN HOCKENBERRY:
It's Evansville, all right. Evansville, a crucial place. We'll check that, but Todd Zwillich, thanks so much for joining us.
TODD ZWILLICH:
Yeah.
JOHN HOCKENBERRY:
The Todd Zwillich Lightning Round, here on [LAUGHS]
[LAUGHTER]
— Takeaway. We'll be talking to you later on in the program.
TODD ZWILLICH:
Okay, all right.
JOHN HOCKENBERRY:
Thanks, Todd.
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TODD ZWILLICH:
Yep.
[TODD ZWILLICH BUMPER]
