In a much-watched race for Randy “Duke” Cunningham’s old House seat, lobbyist-turned-GOP-candidate Brian Bilbray beat his Democratic opponent, Francine Busby. The results of the election were thought by many to indicate whether or not the electorate would vote against the GOP candidates because of the numerous scandals coming out of the Republican-controlled Congress (the Cunningham fiasco perhaps foremost among them).
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=183180