After the razor-thin margin for CAFTA passage back in 2005, we highlighted what we called the CAFTA 30, which was basically the CAFTA 15 Democrats that voted for the deal plus a few handfuls of Republicans who had committed (or who politically should have) to vote against.
Well, as of today, nearly a third of the CAFTA 30 are gone - ousted from office or otherwise replaced.
In 2006, Reps. Charles Taylor (R-N.C.), Richard Pombo (R-Calif.), Mike Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Mark Foley (R-Fla.) were ousted by Heath Shuler (D-N.C.), Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.), Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.) and Tim Mahoney (D-Fla.) - who all called out the Reps' bad CAFTA positions. (Mahoney later sold out fair traders, but that's history, since he also lost his re-election.)
Now, in the 2008 races, there are four more casualties: Rep. Chris Cannon (R-Utah), Phil English (R-Pa.), Robin Hayes (R-N.C.) and Marilyn Musgrave (R-Colo.) -- all who were ousted by fair traders Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), Kathy Dahlkemper (D-Pa.), Larry Kissell (D-N.C.) and Betsy Markey (D-Colo.).
Additionally, Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.), one of the CAFTA 15, lost his 2008 election, and Rep. Jo Ann Davis (R-Va.) passed. And Sens. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) and Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.), whose bad CAFTA votes we also highlighted, lost their elections to fair traders Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Kay Hagan (D-N.C.).
This contradicts the claims of some corporate groups that voting for CAFTA was a not a political liability.
http://citizen.typepad.com/eyesontrade/2009/01/one-third-of-cafta-30-are-gone.html