By Elaine Donnelly
Extending sexual misconduct to combat units
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
When longtime Democratic Sen. Kent Conrad announced last year he wouldn't seek re-election in 2012 as North Dakota's senior senator, Republicans smelled blood.
The 2012 congressional elections are more than 10 months away, but some key votes already have been cast — and not by the electorate.
The last time California redrew its congressional districts, Republicans and Democrats cut a deal to preserve all the incumbents, essentially erasing the country's biggest electoral fishing ground from the map in 2002.
Money isn't buying much love on the campaign trail these days in Florida.
"People talk about political courage and all those things, but to have your hair failing out on Election Day, that's another level of resilience," said Nathan L. Gonzales, deputy editor of the Rothenberg Political Report.
"She has been successful so far in defining herself and not letting Republicans saddle her with the Obama label," Mr. Gonzales said.
