Democrats have a new hero in Congressman-elect Ron Barber. The onetime aide to former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords won Tuesday's special contest to serve out the remainder of her term and gives the insurgent party new hope to reclaim control of the House this fall. Barber bested Jesse Kelly, Giffords' 2010 opponent, 52 percent to 46 percent.
Arizona's 8th Congressional District was a tossup long before the massacre in Tucson that killed six and severely wounded the congresswoman in January 2011. Barber was among the 13 others who were also wounded in the attack.
Giffords won her seat in the 2006 wave that swept Democrats to power, in a district where Republicans have a seven-point voter registration advantage.
Joined by Giffords at a victory rally in Tucson on Tuesday, Barber said, "Life takes unexpected turns and here we are, thanks to you."
But he shouldn't get used to the boundaries for this district. Thanks to redistricting, he'll be running for re-election in redrawn territory that is friendlier to Democrats come November.
Operatives from both parties said before the race they weren't sure how it was going to shake out, and Democrats were noting that 84 Republican-held districts are more Democratic than this one. That stat was in Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Steve Israel's statement congratulating Barber.
"Arizona's 8th Congressional District has more registered Republicans than Democrats, this race has been rated a toss-up throughout the election, and Republican outside groups outspent Democratic outside groups by more than $500,000," Israel said. He added that those 84 Republicans should be "on notice" about the Democrats' message.
The DCCC's Jen Crider put a finer point on it in a memo to reporters: "Every incumbent Republican shares Jesse Kelly's vulnerabilities on Medicare, Social Security and tax breaks for millionaires, and 84 of them are in districts more Democratic than AZ-08. We can (and did) win a Republican-leaning district like AZ-08, but the battleground in November is in much more Democratic-friendly territory."
Crider also argued the Democrats "now stand well positioned to pick-up two additional seats in Arizona." They see opportunity in the open 1st District and in the new 9th District created by population gains.
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