Election 2008: What’s At Stake?

Several of the congressional races News 21 has been following are on a new ranked list of 50 House races to watch. In some of these districts, immigration is an issue; in others, immigrant voters may tilt the election.

• 6. Texas 22 - Republican Pete Olson challenges Democrat Nick Lampson, who won this very Republican district in 2006 because of backlash against former Rep. Tom Delay. Perhaps Lampson’s last hope, a large South Asian population might save him.
• 11. Pennsylvania 11 - Democrat Paul Kanjorski faces Mayor Lou Barletta, whom Real Clear Politics calls a “near-celebrity.” Barletta earned that status by crusading against illegal immigration.
• 16. Pennsylvania 10 - Democratic incumbent Chris Carney defeated his Republican predecessor, Don Sherwood, in 2006 after Sherwood’s mistress accused him of trying to choke her. Carney is facing a stronger opponent this time in Chris Hackett. Tapping into regional support for Lou Barletta, Hackett has expressed strong opposition to illegal immigration.
• 36. Florida 25 – Republican Mario Diaz-Balart is in the first challenging race of his House career, against Democrat Joe Garcia. The race hinges on whether a new, more liberal generation of Cubans and voters from Nicaragua, Colombia and Venezuela outvote traditionally conservative older Cubans.
• 49. Florida 21 – Mario’s brother Lincoln Diaz-Balart is attempting to fend off Democrat Raul Martinez in a tight, nasty race. His situation is similar to Mario’s, though his district is more Republican.

Check out the list yourselves—are there any races that I missed? (Part 1, Part 2)