Cold Cash Jefferson defeated in Louisiana

CNN:

Nine-term Democratic Rep. William Jefferson, who has been battling scandals and a federal indictment for the past three years, lost his bid for re-election on Saturday.

Republican challenger Anh "Joseph" Cao, an attorney and community organizer, defeated Jefferson in the 2nd Congressional district race. He will become the first Vietnamese-American elected to Congress.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Cao had almost 50 percent of the vote to Jefferson's 47 percent.

The 2nd Congressional district, in and around New Orleans, is mostly African-American and heavily Democratic, and Jefferson appeared to be favored to win re-election going into the election.

"The people of the second district were able to transcend party, transcend race," Cao said after claiming victory Saturday night.

Voters also chose Republican John Fleming over Democrat Paul Carmouche in Louisiana's 4th District by a slim 356-vote margin.

Fleming will replace retiring 10-term Republican Rep. Jim McCrery, a top-ranking Republican on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.

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In 2005, Jefferson's private homes in Washington and New Orleans were raided, and FBI agents say they found $90,000 in cash stashed in one of his freezers.

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I have to say I am pleasantly surprised. I suspect that added to Jefferson's problems in this vote was the lack of Obama on the ticket. If ever there was a guy who deserved to lose it was Jefferson. He has never given a rational reason for having the $90,000 in his freezer and I don't recall an explanation of what happened to the missing $10,000 in bribe money.

Good for Louisiana. The Fleming win is also good news for the GOP, but the race was tighter than it should have been in a Republican district. The Democrats put up a strong candidate and made the race close.

These contest and the Chambliss win in Georgia give the Republicans some hope going into 2010. I think we will pick up some seats.