Hillary Clinton’s supporters on Tuesday proclaimed her crushing victory in West Virginia as evidence of Barack Obama’s continuing weakness among blue collar workers. But the simultaneous Democratic victory in a Mississippi congressional race suggested there may be little the Republicans can do to stop 2008 from being a washout.

Fuelled by a strong African-American turnout, the Democratic win in Mississippi on Tuesday delivered the third consecutive Republican congressional defeat in otherwise safe districts following a recent loss in Louisiana and in the Illinois district of Dennis Hastert, the former Republican speaker reports the Financial Times.

In both Louisiana and Mississippi, Republican attempts to link the Democratic candidate to Mr. Obama failed. Polls suggest the Democrats could increase their Senate lead from a 51-49 split to a safer 55-45 majority and add to their majority in the House of Representatives by 10 to 15 seats in the elections in November.

“Since 1980 I have not seen a terrain so tilted against one party as it is against the Republicans in 2008,” says Norman Ornstein, a political analyst at the conservative American Enterprise Institute. “To be sure, Barack Obama may face a close race against John McCain, but there is no evidence his candidacy would harm Democratic congressional prospects.”

On Wednesday, John Boehner, the Republican House leader, said the Mississippi defeat was a “wake-up call” for Republican candidates nationwide. House Republicans this week acknowledged the yearning for new leadership among voters by unveiling a new campaign slogan – “Change you deserve”– mimicking Mr. Obama’s “Change we deserve” slogan.

Read it here: Republicans fear election juggernaut