Chris Shays Is Defeated

Rep. Chris Shays, R-Conn., who has survived multiple challenges over the past several election cycles, has lost. As Rob Brodsky reported, he was a leading contender to replace Rep. Tom Davis as the ranking Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. With 42 percent of the vote in, CNN says the margin is 59 percent James Himes, 40 percent Shays. I doubt it'll stay that much of a blowout, and I have to admit I'm surprised; I'd seen Shays hang on in tough political environments while I lived in Connecituct. This loss clears the way for Darrell Issa, who has worked with Davis in recent months, to rise to ranking member. He's more conservative than Shays or Davis, setting up a starker contrast with Chairman Henry Waxman, which suggests Oversight Committee hearings could get even more entertaining in the next Congress.