When thinking about House races at this stage in the election cycle, there are a number of important elements to consider. First, will there be a partisan tilt inthe electoral playing field that could favor either party? Second, the level of volatility in the political environment will be determined largely by the number of open seats, the fickleness of the public mood, and the number and caliber of challengers recruited by each side. Third, the comparitive level of funding in terms of incumbents versus challengers and Democrats versus Republicans. The level of commitment on the part of business PACs to back GOP open seats and challenger candidates is an important factor in this equation. Labor did not make the same shift away from challengers and toward incumbent protection that business did, making the balance that was seen in terms of the relative PAC support of challengers out of balance since the 1984 election cycle.
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