Congressional Quarterly looks at local races

With about a year before the election, Congressional Quarterly has looked at two local races for congressional seats in its most recent ratings of U.S. House and Senate contests.
One of the highlights, according to the article, is the change in the rank of the district of freshman U.S. Rep. Bobby Bright, D-Montgomery.
Bright narrowly won his election in November to become the first Democrat to represent the 2nd Congressional District since the 1960s. Republican presidential candidate John McCain, however, received 63 percent of the vote in the district.
"But there is no doubt that Bright is one of the most vulnerable Democratic House incumbents for 2010," the article states.
With his challenger announcing her candidacy and raising money, Congressional Quarterly moved the seat from "leans Democratic" to "tossup." State and national Republicans appear to be lining up behind Montgomery City Councilwoman Martha Roby.
"But Roby will need stronger fundraising numbers to prevent Bright from regaining an edge in the race," according to the article. "After bringing in more than $125,000 in the first six weeks of her campaign, Roby reported an underwhelming $91,000 in receipts during the third quarter. She ended September with $179,000 cash on hand to Bright's $489,000."
Congressional Quarterly updated races in the South in the Friday piece and said Bright's race was the highlight of the House races.
The article also moved the rating on the 3rd Congressional District, where a rematch appears likely between U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Saks, and Montgomery lawyer Josh Segall, who challenged Rogers in 2008, but came up short.
The article notes the potential for another strong challenge, but says Rogers was able to hold of Segall during a strong year for Democrats.
Congressional Quarterly moved the race from "leans Republican" to "likely Republican."

-- posted by Sebastian Kitchen