Obama-Republican and McCain-Democratic House Districts

Greg Giroux at CQ Politics has some analysis that supplements the discussion of House elections in Epic Journey:

Some of the most competitive congressional races of 2010 will be in districts where voters split their ballots between Republicans for the House of Representatives and Democrat Barack Obama for the White House.CQ Politics’ analysis of presidential election returns in all 435 congressional districts shows there are 34 that split that way — perhaps a testament to the durability of partisan voting habits in House races or maybe a further decline in the “coattails” effect. Those split districts complement the 49 that favored Republican John McCain for president while helping the Democrats expand their congressional majority.These “Obama-Republican” and “McCain-Democratic” districts, combined, amount to a substantial 19 percent of all House seats. In 2010, the parties will try to bring those districts back into line with their traditional partisan voting patterns.