House District 1:  Democrat Travis Childers won a special election in April, 2008 to replace Republican Roger Wicker who had been appointed to the Senate seat of outgoing Senator Trent Lott.  His victory was a shock to the GOP and a tell-tale sign that the blue wave of 2006 was still packing a punch.  Later that year, he won a full term with an easy win in the November elections.  Interestingly, until Wicker moved to the Senate, this seat had been held by just two people since 1941.  Wicker won an open seat election in 1994.  That open seat was courtesy of Democrat Jamie Whitten's retirement and marked the first time in 54 years that Whitten's name was not on the ballot.  That's right; Mr. Whitten served a remarkable 27 terms.  He was the longest serving representative in U.S. history at the time.  Fast-forward to 2010, and you'll find the chances of sitting Representative Childers duplicating Whitten's feat pretty doubtful.  With a Republican wind blowing through this Republican-leaning district, Election Projection starts off this race as a Weak GOP Gain.

Be sure to check out the Mississippi state page for a lot more information on the Magnolia State.

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Filed under:  Mississippi  MS House