(The Center Square) – The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is targeting multiple seats in Congress to take back the Democratic majority in November.
Its “2026 Red to Blue” program’s goal is to flip 18 seats in 12 states in November.
Republicans hold a slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives of just three seats. Current polls indicate Republicans are likely to lose the midterm elections. Historically, the political party in the White House loses seats in Congress during midterm elections. In 2010, when Barack Obama was president, Democrats lost 63 seats in the House and six seats in the U.S. Senate. In President Donald Trump’s first term, in 2018, Republicans lost 40 seats in the House and gained two in the U.S. Senate, the American Presidency Project at UC Santa Barbara notes.
The DCCC, the official campaign arm of the Democrats in the House of Representatives, says its “Red to Blue” program is “highly competitive and battle-tested,” designed to arm “top-tier candidates with organizational and fundraising support to help them continue to develop strong campaigns.”
The candidates it supports are extremists, “far-left,” “radical,” “out of touch” “hate farmers,” and are elitists, the National Republican Congressional Committee, the DCCC counterpart, argues, among other claims.
The DCCC’s greatest Red to Blue targets are four Republican incumbents in Pennsylvania: U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA 1), Ryan Mackenzie (PA 7), Rob Bresnahan Jr. (PA 8) and Scott Perry (PA 10).
In response to the DCCC’s backing Democrat Bob Harvie in PA 1, NRCC Spokesman Reilly Richardson said, “Corrupt Bob Harvie, the subject of an FBI investigation, has spent his time in office raising taxes and abusing taxpayer-funded resources. Corrupt Harvie’s record is uniquely disqualifying and his candidacy is dead on arrival.”
The DCCC is also targeting three seats in Arizona. One is AZ 1, where multiple candidates are running in a Democrat July 21 primary. In response to the DCCC’s pick, Marlene Woods, NRCC Spokesperson Ben Petersen said, “D.C. Democrats meddling in a primary to boost Marlene Woods, who is currently trailing the Democrat primary by 21 points, showed how panicked Democrats are about losing the 1st district. Marlene Woods promised to vote ‘100%‘ for their liberal tax-hiking, job-killing agenda, showing she’s deeply out of step with Arizonans.”
The DCCC is also trying to unseat Republican incumbents U.S. Reps. Eli Crane in AZ 2 and Juan Ciscomani in AZ 6.
It’s also hoping to flip two seats each in Iowa, Texas and Virginia. In Iowa, the DCCC is targeting incumbent Republicans U.S. Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks in IA 1 and Zach Nunn in IA 3.
In Texas, it’s targeting incumbent U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz in Texas’ new CD 15 and hoping to win a new open seat in CD 35. After a new Texas redistricting law is in effect, voting patterns indicate both districts represent Hispanic Republican majorities.
In Virginia, the DCCC is targeting Republican incumbents U.S. Reps. Robert Wittman in VA 1 and Jennifer Kiggans in VA 2.
The Red to Blue campaign is also targeting one seat each in the California (CD 22), Colorado (CD 5), Maine (CD 2), Michigan (CD 4), North Carolina (CD 11), Tennessee (CD 5) and Wisconsin (CD 3).
Overall, the DCCC is focusing on 44 districts in 23 states. Its Red to Blue campaign is part of it, noting that all 44 districts “are in play.”
With three seats “standing between Democrats and reclaiming the House majority, we have an aggressive and disciplined strategy to get us above and beyond 218 seats,” it says. “With strong recruits, firm financial support, and a clear message, Democrats will flip these seats.”
Overall, the DCCC is targeting the most Republican incumbents in two states: four seats each in Florida and Pennsylvania. It’s also targeting three seats each in Arizona, Michigan, Ohio and Virginia. It’s also targeting two seats each in California, Colorado, Iowa, North Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin.
In California, the NRCC says Democrats Derek Tran and Dave Min “hate California farmers” because they “voted against bipartisan legislation that strengthens risk management, expands access to credit, lowers costs, and invests in farming communities.”
The DCCC is also targeting one seat each in Alaska, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina and Tennessee.
According to a RealClear Polling Generic Congressional average of polls, the latest data shows Democrats beating Republicans in the House by 5.6% in November. Margins range from Democrats winning by three points in a Morning Consult poll to winning by 10 points in Emerson and Marquette polls, according to the data.
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