Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.), a 34-year House veteran, faces a sudden backlash after saying that some Pennsylvania voters may not support Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama because they are "racist." He apologized, but he still faces an uproar.
Still, Republicans are much more on the defensive. In one Florida district, Republican Rep. Tom Feeney aired a TV ad apologizing for his "rookie mistake" in going on a golf trip to Scotland with "corrupt lobbyist" Jack Abramoff in 2003.
In one California district, Democrat Charlie Brown, a retired Air Force officer, is in a tight race with GOP state Sen. Tom McClintock. The Republican incumbent, John T. Doolittle of Roseville, has come under scrutiny for his ties to Abramoff and is retiring.
Democratic candidates are competing on GOP turf by sounding in many cases like their Republican foes.
In Alabama, Democrat Bobby Bright, the mayor of Montgomery, is in a tight race against Jay Love, a Republican state legislator, for a seat being vacated by Republican Rep. Terry Everett.
Love has attempted to portray Bright as a liberal who takes "big campaign bucks" from national Democratic leaders. But Bright has worked to distance himself from party leaders, running a TV ad flashing the words "conservative," "pro-life" and "pro-gun."
"Bright has hardly mentioned the Democratic Party," said Jeremy Lewis, a political science professor at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Ala.
A number of the potential newcomers to the House, if elected, are likely to become members of the influential "Blue Dog" coalition, a group that currently numbers 49 fiscally conservative Democrats who insist that any spending increases be offset by budget cuts or tax increases.
The Blue Dogs could complicate efforts to increase spending for domestic programs, such as health and education, that Democrats contend were neglected under years of GOP rule.
"We don't believe that Congress, as an independent branch of the government, should be cheerleader for the White House," said Rep. John Tanner (D-Tenn.), a Blue Dog. "Whoever is elected president, it's our job to work with them when we can, but more importantly, to oversee the spending that occurs by the administration."
The election of more conservative Democrats also could undercut efforts to restore a ban on new oil drilling off much of the U.S. coast. Instead, the House is more likely to take up legislation allowing states to make drilling decisions.
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richard.simon@latimes.com
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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)
In the House
Democrats won a majority of seats in the House of Representatives in 2006, taking control for the first time since 1994. Democrats are poised to expand their majority in next week's election.
The House before the 2006 election:
Democrats: 203
Republicans: 232
The House currently (1 vacancy):
Democrats: 235
Republicans: 199
House projections for next week:
Democrats: 260-271
Republicans: 164-175
Sources: Cook Political Report; Rothenberg Political Report; Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball.
