Despite Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) promises, many Democratic congressional candidates in conservative districts remain unconvinced that he can redraw the general election map by competing in red states. While Obama is popular among some challengers seeking an edge in contested primaries, other non-incumbents have shied away from endorsing him. Most are staying out of the fray, endorsing neither Obama nor Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.). Many of those who have picked sides either have personal ties to their candidate or are running in the home states of the presidential hopefuls. Most of the free agents who have chosen sides face difficult primaries and have picked Obama, suggesting they see his appeal as a boon in Democratic contests but not necessarily in the general election. … “The Senate’s ‘most liberal’ member cannot hope to run well among independents and conservatives on a typical Democratic platform of higher taxes and bigger government,” Republican National Committee spokesman Alex Conant said Monday.
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/dem-challengers-do-not-yet-believe-in-sen.-obama-2008-03-25.html
Tags: challengers, hillary, marginal districts, unconvinced
