Republicans can’t get “fat, sassy and cocky,” warned a junior House Republican, who cautioned party leaders and his colleagues against assuming a huge victory just because pundits and the polls are on their side six months before the elections.
“My message every time I travel around the country is, it’s halftime in the locker room. We’re ahead on the scoreboard, but there’s a lot of time left on the clock,” said Indiana Rep. Mike Pence, chairman of the House Republican Conference.
But it may be hard to tamp down the irrational exuberance of Republican leaders in coming weeks. The GOP could pick up two symbolically important seats in upcoming special elections — a traditionally Democratic district in Hawaii and the late John Murtha’s seat in Pennsylvania, lowering the number of seats needed to claim majority control from 41 to 39.
“I don’t think you want to count your chickens before they hatch, but having seen numbers from around the country, there’s good reason for substantial optimism,” said Rep. Steve LaTourette (R-Ohio).
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