Posted on 01/24/2010 3:38:06 PM PST by LdSentinal
Arkansas Rep. Marion Berry is expected to announce his retirement tomorrow morning, according to three sources briefed on the decision.
Berry will become the sixth Democrat in a competitive seat to leave in the last two months but the first to announce his retirement since the party's special election loss in Massachusetts last Tuesday.
Berry, first elected in 1996, had been noncommittal about his re-election bid for months although, privately, his allies insisted he was planning to run for re-election.
While Berry had rarely been challenged in the 1st district over the past decade or so, the seat has a clear Republican tilt as Arizona Sen. John McCain (R) won it with 59 percent in 2008.
Arkansas will be a huge focus of Republican efforts in the fall with Berry and Rep. Vic Snyder (D) retiring and Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D) in deep trouble as she seek re-election.
The field to replace Berry isn't yet set although Democrats mentioned include state Rep. Keith Ingram and Jason Willett, a former state party chair. On the Republican side, broadcaster Rick Crawford is in the race.
Berry joins Snyder as well as Reps. Dennis Moore (Kans.), John Tanner (Tenn.), Brian Baird (Wash.) and Bart Gordon (Tenn.) as Members sitting in districts either won by McCain or carried narrowly by President Obama to step aside between the end of November and today.
Democratic strategists warned privately that a Coakley loss could open the floodgates for members who were wavering about their future political plans. Including Berry, there are now 12 Democratic members retiring with 14 Republicans calling it quits.
The next two weeks could well serve as a tipping point in the battle for House control.
(Excerpt) Read more at voices.washingtonpost.com ...
Dropping like flies. Another case of the Obama scurvy.
Rats leaving a sinking ship ... and Obama and Gibbs say that the election of Scott Brown does NOT indicate that we are against their policies ... yea right ... let ‘em keep believing that things are going great for the Dims.
I guess the rat reps and senators aren’t buying Gibs’ argument that voters in MA were really voting for 0.
What is the count now? Seven?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkansas%27s_1st_congressional_district
Arkansas’s 1st congressional district
You know it’s bad when the DemocRATS can’t even stand the DemocRATS.
Maybe he should just change his name.
I’m wondering if these retiring Democrats are going to start a third party.
Yea baby, the air in Arkansas is already starting to smell better.
Good, get the hell out.
Take a bunch more dems and damned RINOs with ya.
Let them all quit and we can start over.
GM btw just got another 3.5 billion in US aid for the UAW.
He’s giving up value of incumbency, name recognition, fund raising.
Anybody good announced to run from GOP side?
He’s giving up value of incumbency, name recognition, fund raising.
Anybody good announced to run from GOP side?
Rats jumping the sinking ship.
“Da bitch set me up!”
Oh, sorry... Wrong Marion Barry...
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