Politics

Here Are The Red House Seats Democrats Are Already Working To Turn Blue In 2020

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The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) released its list of 32 House Republicans it will target ahead of the 2020 election after picking up 40 seats in the 2018 midterm elections.

Some of the names seem like long shots — like long-serving Ohio Rep. Steve Chabot, who won by more than 4 points — but others, like Texas Rep. Will Hurd, survived on margins of less than 1 point, reported Roll Call.

“Many of the districts on our list have big suburban populations; many have also experienced rapid population growth in recent years — particularly in diverse communities,” DCCC Chairwoman Cheri Bustos said in the press release. “This leaves Democrats with a large number of ripe pick-up opportunities.”

The DCCC wants to flip suburban districts like the ones held by Republican Reps. George Holding of North Carolina, Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington and Ann Wagner of Missouri.

Here are other House Republicans the Democrats are already targeting for 2020:

The Veterans

The DCCC’s list of 32 Republicans and one open seat (North Carolina’s 9th district, which is investigating alleged election fraud) include some veteran lawmakers who would have seemed like shoe-ins until recently.

New York Rep. Chris Collins squeaked by with less than half a percent in November 2018 after he was indicted for securities fraud in August 2018. California Rep. Duncan Hunter says he’s not guilty of allegations he misused roughly $250,000 in campaign funds, and he also defeated his Democratic rival for another term. Hunter beat Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar by roughly 3 points.

Also on the list? Iowa Republican Steve King. He’s set to face challenges from both the left and the right after losing his committee assignments for saying he didn’t understand when the term “white supremacist” became “offensive” language. Republican Iowa state Sen. Randy Feenstra announced he was running against King in January.

Other longtime Republican lawmakers on the DCCC’s list include Illinois Rep. Rodney Davis, who won by less than a point in 2018, and Georgia Rep. Rob Woodall, who squeaked by with just 419 more votes than his opponent according to Roll Call.

There are numerous Republicans on the list who the DCCC will have a much harder time unseating. For example, New York Rep. John Katko had about a 5-point lead on his rival in 2018 despite being in a district that Hillary Clinton won in 2016, according to Ballotpedia.

Also seemingly safe are Reps. Brian Mast of Florida, who’s more of a newcomer, and Scott Tipton of New Mexico.

The Freshmen

These Republican lawmakers just got into office, but the DCCC is already planning ahead to make them one-term representatives. The DCCC’s hit list includes freshman Reps. Chip Roy of Texas and Jim Hagedorn of Minnesota.

And the DCCC is already on the attack against freshman Florida Rep. Ross Spano, calling him “unfit” for potential campaign finance violations he has yet to clear up, reported Florida Politics. But Spano was also one of many lawmakers who chose to forgo his congressional salary during the partial government shutdown that temporarily ended Jan. 25, reported the Orlando Sentinel.

The “open” seat on the DCCC’s list is for North Carolina’s 9th District. Republican Mark Harris is the apparent winner over Democrat Dan McCready, but allegations of voter fraud have kept the race from being certified for months.

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