It looks like Ciro will

Win by about 10 points, significantly more than even the most optimistic predictions

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by: safi @ Tue Dec 12, 2006 at 21:44:29 PM CST

How sweet it is!

30 seat pickup--now Rahm can really celebrate. (No he can't.)

Looks like 70,000 or so votes will be cast, not bad for an election that was scheduled on a Mexican holiday so as to depress turnout.  Rodriguez won the early voting by 7.9%.

Anyway, it's a nice pickup.  And it's nice to see some GOP maneuvering backfire once in a while.

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by: mikeel @ Tue Dec 12, 2006 at 21:55:38 PM CST

31

When you count in the pickup of Bernie Sanders's seat.

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by: KTinTX @ Tue Dec 12, 2006 at 21:56:51 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Some are hypothesizing...

...that having the election on a Hispanic holy day actually helped by raising a communal consciousness surrounding the vote.  Afterall, I'm sure many of these polls were held in churches...

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by: James L. @ Tue Dec 12, 2006 at 21:57:29 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Great Victory

A great victory, I am surprised by the size of the margin.

BlueSunbelt.Com Netroots for the Sunbelt states robwire.com My personal blog

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by: rob @ Tue Dec 12, 2006 at 22:20:32 PM CST

Take that you sorry sons of bitches!

This victory is a sweet, sweet one.

Many thanks to the DCCC, the Big Dog, and all who worked their butts off to turn TX-23 blue.

Now, we have another special election for a state Leg seat in HD-29.

Go, Dr. Dinovo!

Leave the Republican marauders no safe ground to run to.

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by: boadicea @ Tue Dec 12, 2006 at 22:25:05 PM CST

Feels Like a Dream....

I forgot about this race until 10:15 central time, and logged on expecting to see a Bonilla landslide.  Instead I see a Ciro landslide.  I guess this year's battleground House races turned out to be unpredictable until the bitter end.  That loud weeping sound you hear is Tom DeLay bawling like a baby out in Sugar Land.

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by: Mark @ Tue Dec 12, 2006 at 22:33:09 PM CST

Bet Bonilla is feeling like that Edvard Munch Painting

Its on Goggle's homepage, to see what I mean.

Well, hell, great going Texas crew!!!

Finally the DCCC comes through for one of the original Netroots candidates. Hopefully this will register with them and they'll act accordingly in '08.
31 seats!!!!!!!!!
Now onto FL-13....

(-8.50/-7.44) "Real Democrats don't make promises they can't keep." Dr. Howard Dean

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by: Predictor @ Tue Dec 12, 2006 at 22:56:18 PM CST

Ha, yeah I noticed that

I couldn't figure out why Google was featuring "The Scream" earlier today, but now we know: They were anticipating Bonilla's howl when he lost!

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by: DavidNYC @ Tue Dec 12, 2006 at 23:07:50 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Howlin Henry!

Actually the last "Howlin Henry" was Henry Howell-D former LG of VA.

It was no doubt, a sign ;-)

(-8.50/-7.44) "Real Democrats don't make promises they can't keep." Dr. Howard Dean

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by: Predictor @ Tue Dec 12, 2006 at 23:28:47 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Google

That is the weirdest graphic Google has ever used.

BlueSunbelt.Com Netroots for the Sunbelt states robwire.com My personal blog

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by: rob @ Wed Dec 13, 2006 at 00:00:21 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Just goes to show...keep goin'

If anyone doubts the often-mentioned truism that you don't always win the first time, but you don't always fail to win -- consider that this is Ciro's fourth election in two years. Not everyone would keep going, and the more you try the more people will write you off -- and then this happens. Congrats to all involved.

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by: Borat Obama @ Wed Dec 13, 2006 at 01:24:47 AM CST

It is nice to see a +2 for the Democrats in Texas

Hopefully the Democratic Party in my state can get better organized for the upcoming elections with this little bit of momentum. Our state has the demographics of a swing state, but votes for the Republicans. I don't understand why Texas is so enamored with the Republican Party. Hopefully, the Republicans will keep shooting themselves in the foot though like they did this year. I laugh at the idea of a 700 mile wall on the 2000 mile border between the United States and Mexico. I am sure that proposal helped influence some votes in Texas away from the Republicans.

It is poetic justice that Delay is out. The idea of redistricting more than once in a ten year period just turns my stomach. I don't care which party does it. It is basically changing the rules each time you lose to get a better result.

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by: tx_democrat @ Wed Dec 13, 2006 at 08:19:21 AM CST

SE florida

hey, southeast florida needs to be highlighted in a nice shade of light blue.  FL-22 was a flipped district!

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by: beyondo98 @ Wed Dec 13, 2006 at 11:59:37 AM CST

The problem is...

That district is like 10 feet wide, so it doesn't even show up as a sliver on the map!

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by: James L. @ Wed Dec 13, 2006 at 12:04:03 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Ciro

HOOrah!

As a slightly over 50 native Texan who does own real Yellow Dog Democrat earrings, this is a thrill. It's additionally thrilling since I worked in Lampson's campaign (the other swing in Texas) and teach political science to college students in the Houston area.

The major reason is that it is fabulous is that Hispanics/Latino/as
in the state are finally getting the representation that they need and the recognition that they are a voting force with which to be reckoned.

Also just heard the news that Senator Johnson may not be as sick as folks thought earlier. Hope that is true. Prayers for him/family.

Elizabeth

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by: emclane @ Wed Dec 13, 2006 at 18:42:02 PM CST

Teenincy quibble

Or a T9C quibble.

The district maps used here
are from before the Supremes
ordered that some lines be
redrawn.

Not a big deal, since only
Bonilla's District 23 changed
hands. In the several blue
South Texas districts, some
counties were shuffled from
one D district to another.

Rejoice to see that chunk of
West Texas real estate -- part
of the Great Chihuahua Desert --
turn blue.

I had hoped, going into the
November election, that some
huge Mountain West destricts
would change hands -- like
WY-AL, NV-03, ID-01, AZ-01,
CO-04, NE-03, WA-08. That
would have looked so good
on the national map. OK,
next time. Until then we got
TX-23 and it looks great.

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by: WoodyNYC @ Sun Dec 17, 2006 at 12:45:51 PM CST

Hmm

Do you happen to have a link to the re-redistricted TX-23 map? 

And yeah, I hear you about CO-04, AZ-01, WY-AL, etc.  If we picked off AZ-01, for instance, we'd have all four corners.  Not to mention how awesome NV-02 would've looked in blue...

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by: James L. @ Sun Dec 17, 2006 at 13:16:39 PM CST

[ Parent ]