Breaking: IL-14 Hastert Resigning

by: Downtowner

Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 23:16

I always wanted to find an excuse to use breaking in a diary title.

This will be a brief diary, that I may add to as the evening progresses, but Roll Call is reporting that Dennis Hastert will announce his resignation (effective "later this year") tomorrow, Thursday, setting up a special election here in IL-14.

I haven't spoken to John Laesch this evening yet, but just gave this news to our campaign manager.

Downtowner :: Breaking: IL-14 Hastert Resigning

This has been rumored for a long time, but this seems so definite as to time, etc, that it is hard to believe it is not so, despite the shaky sourcing.

We'll have a lot of work ahead of us to get ready for a special election before February 5, so please do lend your support if you can.

UPDATE: Just wanted to mention that as andgarden points out in the comments, the announcement may come tomorrow, but the report is the resignation itself will be effective later this year.

UPDATE II: Several people have requested the ActBlue link for John Laesch in the comments, but since Klondike just requested it with an offer to pick up the first round of virtual drinks, I thought it was high time I put the link in the diary. Here it is.

Lisa Bennett
aka Downtowner
blogging for John Laesch

Crossposted on DailyKos

Tags: IL-14, John Laesch, Dennis Hastert, Special Election, 2007, House, (All Tags)

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Breaking: IL-14 Hastert Resigning | 1 comments

Special election stats (0.00 / 0)

Well, the latest on the on again off again announcement about hastert is that he won't but ... I wouldn't be surprised if, as rumored, he resigns the day after the filing for the 2008 election closes.

Anyway, I thought you might find these stats interesting.
(They are taken from the special election list on wikipedis, btw).

So far, 22 special elections have been held in the George W. Bush presidency. Two more are already needed due to deaths of members from OH-5 and VA-1. This is consistent with the 28 special elections held during the Clinton administaration and less than the 19 held during the one term of George H.W. Bush. Thirty-one special elections were held during the Reagan administration.

Out of the last 100 special elections, House seats were retained 87 times (87%) and switched parties 13 times (13%). Republicans gained seven seats, Democrats gained six seats. The tie breaker came during a special election in Texas where Phil Gramm (R) was elected to succeed Phil Gramm (D).

Most specifically, the party out of the White House has picked up nine of the last ten changes (10 out of the 13 during the full period). That includes two gains during the current administration (Stephanie Herseth and Ben Chandler) and one loss Randy Forbes in Virginia early). Republicans picked up four seat during the Clinton administration and Democrats picked up 3 seats during Bush I.

by: David Kowalski @ Thu Oct 18, 2007 at 11:51:49 AM UTC