He had good reason to be enthused. Mr. Friedman's boss was well on his way to an absolute crushing victory over rookie-politician Andrew Concannon and a tenth term in the U.S. House. Not long after Friedman's shout of confidence, Rep. Camp was in front of television cameras, microphones, and an elaborately decorated podium and stage at Pizza Sam's in downtown Midland giving his victory speech.

As the night wore on, Rep. Camp's chief of staff, Jim Brandell commented about the congressman's results, "He won't do better than '06, but it's looking good."

Soon after, everyone found out that the congressman actually had done better in 2008 than in 2006, an accomplishment achieved by only one other Michigan G.O.P. representative.

Shortly after the election, Rep. Camp's spokesman Sage Eastman sent out a memo to media outlets outlining some key facts and figures that the campaign wished to highlight.

In the memo, Mr. Eastman wrote, "While Democrats have many reasons to cheer, the 4th Congressional District of Michigan is not one of them. As many people seek to sort out the meaning of this election and its results, one indisputable fact rises to the top: Dave Camp out-performed, winning all 14 counties in the district and is well situated to retain his seat in the future. Camp remains popular in his district, has a well-earned reputation for constituent services and remains an influential member of the U.S. House of Representatives irrespective of party control."

The Concannon Campaign

For most, such an impressive victory for the congressman wasn't expected. At the time of his candidacy announcement, Mr. Concannon, an attorney from Saginaw Township, was hailed as the Democrats' best hope ever to unseat Rep. Camp. Soon before the election however, high-profile Democrats sensed a bit of unease, as the started proclaiming Mr. Concannon as the "perfect candidate for 2010", backtracking significantly from their David-and-Goliath comparison of before.

Mr. Concannon ran much of his campaign trying to pair Rep. Camp with President Bush and blaming the Congressman for high gas prices. Mr. Concannon even featured a YouTube video on his Web site where he stood in front of a gas pump lamenting the high price of oil. As the election drew nearer, gas prices plummeted and Mr. Concannon was forced to speak less of the "high price of oil". There is, however, still a banner on Mr. Concannon's Web site that reads "Stop high gas prices".

For the most part, the campaign for Congress in the 4th District was uneventful. There were, however, some testy points in October regarding campaign finance violation charges filed with the Federal Election Commission against Mr. Concannon's campaign by the Michigan G.O.P.

The State Republican Party alleged that Mr. Concannon's campaign had violated fundraising rules through the use of an unregistered committee. The commission concluded its investigation of the Concannon campaign on October 1 and decided to scold Mr. Concannon's campaign with admonishments in lieu of going forward with prosecution.

The Camp Campaign

Ashton Strohkirch, the congressman's campaign manager, says the campaign tried to focus on three basic messages throughout 2008. The first having to do with the economy, in particular for Michigan.

"We should not be raising taxes during such an economic crisis," she adds.

Secondly, Rep. Camp's campaign focused on energy issues and policy.

"[W]e need to end our dependence on foreign oil," says Ms. Strohkirch.

Finally, the campaign focused on the congressman's goal of "Providing quality, and affordable health care" for Americans.

The congressman's campaign operation centered on county events, parades, and fundraisers.

Ms. Strohkirch also commented on how smoothly the campaign went, "I was so fortunate to be able to work for such a respectable and deserving candidate. [The campaign] has provided me with invaluable knowledge and experience in campaigning. After putting in the hours and efforts that go into a campaign, obviously, winning was extremely exciting and rewarding in itself."

Ms. Strohkirch will follow up her campaign performance in Washington as a new staff assistant for the congressman. She is moving to Maryland in January for the job.

The Road To Ranking Member

Rep. Camp faced another battle this month for the ranking Republican seat on the powerful U.S. House Ways and Means Committee. The congressman faced off against California Representative Wally Herger and on December 10, the Republican Steering Committee selected Rep. Camp as the ranking member. The Ways and Means Committee is the chief tax-writing committee in the U.S. House and has jurisdiction over health, trade and welfare.

"It is an honor to be selected as the lead Republican on the Ways and Means Committee," said the congressman in a prepared statement,
"We are facing historic challenges as a nation, especially with regard to taxes and health care. The legislation coming through Ways and Means will have a huge impact on our ability to climb out of this recession, increase American competitiveness and guarantee access to quality, affordable health care for all Americans. I look forward to working on these issues on behalf of the American public."

Rep. Camp defeated Rep. Herger due largely to Rep. Camp's fundraising for other Republican candidates this cycle. According to Mr. Eastman, the congressman was one of the top three fundraisers for G.O.P. House races. Rep. Camp's campaign, along with his P.A.C., donated more than $1 million to the Republican National Congressional Committee.

Previously, when the G.O.P. held a majority in the U.S. House, the congressman served as the chairman of the subcommittee on select revenue. Now, with his ranking member status, if the
G.O.P. were to regain a majority in the U.S. House in 2010 or 2012, Rep. Camp would be on tap to become chairman of the entire committee. The committee is currently chaired by New York Democratic Representative Charles Rangel, who is currently involved in a controversy involving a report that accuses the representative of helping preserve a lucrative off-shore tax loophole for an oil drilling executive. The New York Times, on December 11, in an editorial, called on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to strip Rep. Rangel of the chairmanship, if necessary.

2010 and Beyond

Mr. Concannon has not publicly stated his intentions for 2010, however many local Democrats expect him to re-challenge Rep. Camp. Mr. Concannon's campaign Web site has remained virtually unchanged since Election Day, and the candidate is still soliciting contributions. Phone calls to Mr. Concannon's campaign headquarters are now answered by an answering machine.

Published in the December issue of The Tridge, a Mid-Michigan based political magazine. www.thetridge.com