Tea Party Rhetoric Emboldens Democrats In Fierce Congressional Campaign

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) and Democrat Tammy Duckworth are battling it out for Illinois' 8th District in the Chicago suburbs. Walsh's heated language has led to many Republican facepalms and has kept Democratic trackers glued to their computer screens.

In a recent outburst, Walsh said "there is a radical strain of Islam in this country," and it "is much more at home now than it was after 9/11."

On Thursday, Walsh agreed that he should balance "straight talk" with "responsible talk". According the Chicago Tribune, Walsh conceded he had gotten "a little ahead of myself with my language" during his notorious town hall meetings.

There is little polling so far in the congressional campaign, but Walsh's district remains a must-win for Democrats if they hope to regain control of the House. Walsh, a freshman Tea Party adherent, trails Duckworth by 9 percentage points, according a poll released by the anti-Tea Party super PAC CREDO, from a survey done by Public Policy Polling.

10 more election stories from beyond the presidential field:

Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) Faces Tough Challenge This Fall [The San Francisco Chronicle]

Rep. Connie Mack IV (R-Fla.) To Speak At Republican Convention [Tampa Bay Times]

Being Poor And Underemployed Could Prove Beneficial For A Long-Shot Candidate For Bronx Assembly [Politicker]

Fmr. State Attorney General Heidi Heitkamp Trails Rick Berg (R-N.D.) By 5 Points [U.S. News]

Connecticut Races Take A Page Out Of Presidential Playbook When It Comes To Issues [Norwalk Citizen]

Indiana Gubernatorial Race Heats Up Between Rep. Pence (R-Ind.) And State House Speaker John Gregg (D-Dist. 45) [The Indy Star]

Recounts Have Been Ordered For 3 Florida State Legislative Races [The Palm Beach Post]

Pennsylvania Mayors And NRA Spar Over Gun Rights In The State Legislature [ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

Carl Paladino Calls Out "RINOS" In New York Republican Party [WKTV]

Flurry Of Fundraising For California Lawmakers [Los Angeles Times]

Also on HuffPost:

• '2nd Amendment Remedies'

  During Nevada's 2010 Senate election, an <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/16/sharron-angle-floated-2nd_n_614003.html" target="_hplink">audio clip</a> surfaced of Sharron Angle <a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/06/sharron_angle_floated_possibil.html" target="_hplink">raising</a> "Second Amendment remedies" as a viable solution to take when "government becomes out of control." The Tea Party-backed hopeful ultimately proved unsuccessful in her campaign to unseat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

• 'I Do Not Wear High Heels'

  Ken Buck, a Tea Party-backed contender who ultimately fell short in his bid to unseat Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet in Colorado, made headlines in 2010 when he <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/21/ken-buck-vote-for-me-beca_n_654990.html" target="_hplink">quipped</a> that people should vote for him "because I do not wear high heels."

• 'I Am Not A Witch'

  Christine O'Donnell <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/04/christine-odonnell-witch-ad_n_750140.html" target="_hplink">captured headlines</a> in 2010 with a now-infamous campaign ad in which she tells voters, "I'm not a witch." She says, "I'm nothing you've heard. I'm you." O'Donnell was defeated in her campaign for Senate in Delaware by Democratic Sen. Chris Coons.

• Scientists For Creationism?

  Rep. Michele Bachmann <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Damah0KH-Co&feature=player_embedded" target="_hplink">said</a> in October of 2006, "There are hundreds and hundreds of scientists, many of them holding Nobel Prizes, who believe in intelligent design."

• Democrats = Communists?

  HuffPost's Jen Bendery <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/11/allen-west-democrats-communist-party_n_1417279.html" target="_hplink">reported</a> in April of this year: <blockquote>As many as 80 House Democrats are communists, according to Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.). West warned constituents at a Tuesday town hall event that he's "heard" that dozens of his Democratic colleagues in the House are members of the Communist Party, the <em>Palm Beach Post</em> <a href=" http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state/allen-west-hears-cheers-jeers-at-town-hall-2295766.html?cxtype=rss_news" target="_hplink">reported</a>. There are currently 190 House Democrats. West spokeswoman Angela Melvin later defended West's comments -- and clarified to whom West was referring. "The Congressman was referring to the 76 members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. The Communist Party has publicly referred to the Progressive Caucus as its allies. The Progressive Caucus speaks for itself. These individuals certainly aren't proponents of free markets or individual economic freedom," Melvin said in a statement to The Huffington Post.

• Welfare Prison Dorms?

  The AP <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/22/carl-paladino-backs-welfa_n_690284.html" target="_hplink">reported</a> in August of 2010 on then-New York gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino: <blockquote>Throughout his campaign, Paladino has criticized New York's rich menu of social service benefits, which he says encourages [undocumented] immigrants and needy people to live in the state. He has promised a 20 percent reduction in the state budget and a 10 percent income tax cut if elected. Asked at the meeting how he would achieve those savings, Paladino laid out several plans that included converting underused state prisons into centers that would house welfare recipients. There, they would do work for the state - "military service, in some cases park service, in other cases public works service," he said - while prison guards would be retrained to work as counselors. "Instead of handing out the welfare checks, we'll teach people how to earn their check. We'll teach them personal hygiene ... the personal things they don't get when they come from dysfunctional homes," Paladino said. ... Paladino told The Associated Press the dormitory living would be voluntary, not mandatory, and would give welfare recipients an opportunity to take public, state-sponsored jobs far from home. "These are beautiful properties with basketball courts, bathroom facilities, toilet facilities. Many young people would love to get the hell out of cities," Paladino he said. He also defended his hygiene remarks, saying he had trained inner-city troops in the Army and knows their needs. "You have to teach them basic things - taking care of themselves, physical fitness. In their dysfunctional environment, they never learned these things," he said.</blockquote>