Most of 34 Dem No-Voters Likely to Escape Payback

Despite all the criticism labor groups and liberals lobbed at them after the House health care reform vote, most of the 34 Democrats who voted no actually don't have to worry about their own party's fury. In many cases it's too late to launch a feasible challenge to incumbents; in others, even those most critical of no-voter Dems balk at the risk of turning seats over to the GOP.

More than half of the gang of 34 are retiring, have already secured their nominations, or have passed the state filing deadline for candidates, Politico reports. Eight more are in states where filing deadlines are too soon to realistically be met, and most of the rest face only weak challengers. Only three—John Barrow of Georgia and Mike McMahon and Mike Arcuri of New York—are in serious danger of losing their re-nomination.
(More Stephanie Herseth Sandlin stories.)