By Bob Benenson

How many GOP House freshmen were elected in districts that favored Obama for president?

a) 3

b) 5

c) 7

d) 9

Answer: a) According to CQ Politics’ exclusive analysis of the 2008 presidential vote by congressional district, three members of the House Republican freshman class of 2008 won in districts where Democrat Barack Obama ran ahead of Republican John McCain in the presidential contest.

They are Anh “Joseph” Cao , who defeated scandal-plagued Democratic Rep. William J. Jefferson in Louisiana’s usually overwhelmingly Democratic 2nd District; Erik Paulsen of Minnesota’s 3rd District, which takes in suburbs of Minneapolis and St. Paul; and Leonard Lance of New Jersey’s 7th District, located in the north-central part of the state. Paulsen and Lance each won to succeed retiring Republican incumbents.

CQ Politics has published stories, based on its vote analysis, about the 49 districts that favored McCain for president but elected Democrats to the U.S. House and the total of 34 districts that favored Obama but elected Republicans to the House.