As President Barack Obama and Democratic congressional leaders scramble to find a new message after a string of election defeats, Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords appears increasingly vulnerable for her loyalty to the White House.Just four months ago, the two-term Democrat looked so secure in her re-election that her district was rated solidly Democratic by the "Cook Political Report," a nonpartisan newsletter that analyzes congressional races. Since then, the rating has slipped to "likely Democratic" and then to "leans Democratic."
The latest drop came shortly after Republican state Sen. Jonathan Paton announced he was joining three other GOP candidates to challenge Giffords.
"Giffords will have to use all of her considerable campaign-trail talents to defend her votes for the stimulus package and the health-care and energy bills in a district that has a track record supporting 'middle of the road' candidates," wrote analyst David Wasserman for the "Cook Political Report."
Giffords, whose 8th Congressional District encompasses parts of Tucson and communities in Arizona's southeastern corner, voted with the president 90 percent of the time last year, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan publication Congressional Quarterly.
Although Democratic Reps. Harry Mitchell and Ann Kirkpatrick also are considered vulnerable, they are less closely identified with Obama at a time when his priorities have been losing support in public-opinion polls and at the ballot box.
Those policies, including health-care reform and government spending on stimulus projects, were successfully attacked by Republicans who won the Massachusetts Senate seat last month and governorships in Virginia and New Jersey last fall.