House Democrats’ campaign arm wants to oust vulnerable Republicans this November with a group of liberal challengers who are seeking to flip up to one dozen seats to help stave off a possible GOP takeover.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is backing 12 challengers as part of its “Red to Blue” initiative that will help support and fundraise for viable candidates in swing districts, many of which have newly drawn boundaries more favorable to Democrats.
“Our candidates and members are veterans, teachers, doctors, and public servants who know the struggles of working families, are committed to service, and are building the kinds of campaigns that will send Democrats back to Washington with the majority needed to deliver for the people,” said Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, who chairs the DCCC.
The DCCC’s program is backing candidates in seats held by GOP incumbents that have become vulnerable due to redistricting, as well as Democrats seeking open House seats.
The candidates include:
• Rudy Salas, a state Assemblyman, who is challenging Rep. David Valadao for California’s 22nd district in the Central Valley.
• Jay Chen, a Navy veteran, who is challenging Rep. Michelle Steel for California’s 45th district in Orange County.
• Brittany Petterson, a member of the Colorado state Senate, who is running for an open seat in Colorado’s 7th District, which includes parts of Denver’s suburbs.
• Christina Bohannan, a state legislator and law professor, who is challenging Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks in Iowa’s First District, on the eastern side of the state.
• Liz Mathis, a state senator, who is challenging Rep. Ashley Hinson in Iowa’s 2nd District, considered one of the most competitive newly created districts in the country.
• Nikki Budzinski, a union and labor activist, who is running in Illinois’ 13th District, which includes several downstate counties.
• Hillary Scholten, an attorney, who is running in Michigan’s 3rd District, where GOP Rep. Peter Meijer faces other primary challenges against pro-Trump candidates.
• Gabe Vasquez, a businessman and entrepreneur, who is challenging Rep. Yvette Herrell in New Mexico’s 2nd District, which includes the city of Las Cruces.
• Jackie Gordon, an Army veteran and former high school guidance counselor, who is running in New York’s 2nd District on Long Island.
• Max Rose, a former lawmaker in the centrist Blue Dog Coalition, who is seeking a rematch against Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, who flipped his Staten Island, New York seat in 2020.
• Greg Landsman, a member of the Cincinnati City Council, who is challenging longtime Rep. Steve Chabot in Ohio’s First District, which includes parts of the city.
• Emilia Sykes, an Ohio state legislator, who is running in the state’s 13th District around Akron.
At the House Democrats’ annual retreat last week, Mr. Maloney said he spoke privately to his colleagues about Democrats’ “bright spots” in this election, despite national challenges the party faces against bullish Republicans.
“We came out of redistricting with a better map than the one through which we currently hold the majority,” Mr. Maloney told reporters. “No one predicted that, and it has real practical implications.”
The DCCC also has roughly a $80 million campaign cash advantage for their frontline candidates ahead of their GOP opponents.
John Tures, a political science professor at LaGrange College, said Democrats historically have found success when they run defensive campaigns.
“If I’m the Democrats, I look optimistic at the people who are [on this list], at their resumes, and what they bring to the table,” Mr. Tures said. “It’ll all come down to whether they can hold a positive message and not run against Republicans.”
Mr. Tures also noted that in 2020, all 14 Republicans who were considered vulnerable in toss-up seats, were able to win their elections.
The House GOP’s campaign arm noted that some of the candidates have previously run against the same Republican incumbents and failed to defeat them.
“Not a single one of the DCCC’s Red to Blue candidates defeated a GOP incumbent last cycle because they ran on a socialist agenda that includes defunding police, inflationary spending, and open borders. Nothing has changed this cycle,” said Mike Berg, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Mr. Rose lost to Ms. Malliotakis in 2020, while Ms. Scholten narrowly lost to Mr. Meijer the same year.
The NRCC is also targeting over 60 vulnerable Democrats this election cycle, putting out ads and messaging that tie the incumbents to issues such as rising crime and inflation.
Overall, House Republicans only need to net five seats to take back the majority in November.
• Mica Soellner can be reached at msoellner@washingtontimes.com.
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