Wonkette

What the hell happened to the Cubins? Rep. Barbara Cubin (R-Wyoming) was apparently hospitalized on September 15th after suffering a “fall” — a fall she had while “attending to her sick husband in the Casper hospital.” Both were released last week. Her press office says Rep. Cubin was merely hospitalized for a broken foot, and her husband (Dr. “Fritz” Cubin) has an unnamed “immune disorder,” but maybe someone is out to get them? [Billings Gazette]

Another lingering House race was finally settled today, when Connecticut Republican Rob Simmons conceded to Joe Courtney after a 2nd District recount gave it to the Dems by just 91 votes. Oh, and they both showed up for Orientation Week, which is kind of hilarious. MORE »

Our libertarian brothers and sisters represent something like four or five guys nationally (despite their ridiculously disproportionate Washington representation — don’t you guys know that if you lived anywhere else in the country you might get a congressman?), but their candidates can always be counted on to stir shit up. Today’s laissez-faire heroes: MORE »

Well, that was easy. We’ve had some really close calls here at Congressional Catfight, including one race that required a runoff. But this latest Catfight — a battle royal between five fighters, to determine who would take the wild card slot and face Katherine Harris — resulted in a decisive victory.

We threw five worthy contenders into the ring: Corrine Brown (D-FL), the “bat shit crazy” rep from the mean streets of Jacksonville’s North Side; Barbara Cubin (R-WY), the ex-cheerleader known for her “wack paranoia” and penis-shaped cookies; Tom Tancredo (R-CO), the immigration-obsessed nutjob; Bernie Sanders (I-VT), everyone’s favorite Vermont socialist; and Jean Schmidt (R-OH), the firearms-carrying, flag-jumpsuit-wearing, coward-calling congresswoman better known as “Mean Jean.”

The result? Jean Schmidt, in a landslide. “Mean Jean” received 60 percent of the vote — more votes than the other four competitors combined, and over three times as many as her nearest competitor, Tom Tancredo. Schmidt has scratched and clawed her way into the final round of Congressional Catfight. (For those of you who are curious, the full vote tally is available after the jump.)

Check back later today, when we’ll open the polls in Congressional Catfight: Harris vs. Schmidt. We’re predicting a close and ugly battle between these two tough ladies of the House.

Earlier: Congressional Catfight: The Nominees for the Wild Card Spot

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Last week, we solicited your nominations for a wild card contender, to take take on the winner of Congressional Catfight: Harris vs. Pelosi (polls closing soon; to vote, click here). You submitted lots of excellent nominations, by email and by comment, and we winnowed the field to five contenders.

Here’s the poll:

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You may already know which one of these folks you’d like to vote for. But if you’re undecided and in need of more information, excerpts from nomination squibs appear after the jump.

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