We already have Robert Gates and Ray LaHood and Jon Huntsman, and now Carl Hulse reports that another Republicans will be joining the Obama administration as Rep John McHugh (R-NY) agrees to serve as Secretary of the Army:
Democrats say they would have a chance at winning the seat though it would still favor a Republican candidate. If Democrats were able to flip the representation, it would leave only two Republicans in the state’s 29-member House delegation with redistricting looming after the 2010 Census.
My guess is that the main political implications here relate to redistricting. Even if a Republican wins the seat, a cloutless freshperson is going to be a very likely candidate for getting screwed-over in a redistricting process that’s likely to require New York to eliminate a congressional district.
Previous in TP Yglesias
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