I just received this email from the campaign of Brett Wagner suggesting that Elton Gallegly may step down by the end of the year, kicking off a special election.
Our congressional district has waited a long time for our 22-year incumbent, Republican archconservative Elton Gallegly, to retire. And now that my contacts on Capitol Hill are telling me that Mr. Gallegly appears to be preparing to step down early -- perhaps later this year, triggering a special election -- it's "incumbent" upon us to build a winning campaign as quickly as possible.
(after all, the best time for a congressional seat to change parties is when it "opens up")
Should the election to replace Mr. Gallegly be scheduled for later this year -- as many expect -- it will also have the potential for nationwide impact, helping to set the stage for which party will win the majority in Congress in 2008.
I don't know what to make of this as I was sure Rick Renzi (AZ-01) was going to step down any minute. Perhaps someone out there has heard something as well?
