House Democrats are zeroing in on 12 additional Republican targets in deep-red districts, nearly all of which President Donald Trump carried by double digits in 2024.
The new additions bring the total number of House seats targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to 58. And it reflects the party’s escalating confidence that, despite expected Republican gains through redistricting this cycle, Democrats will win control of the chamber in November by flipping seats that have long been out of the party’s grasp.
“House Democrats are expanding the battlefield deep into Trump terrain because we have a winning message focused on fighting for an Affordable America,” DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene of Washington said in a statement. “At the same time, MAGA Republicans who historically have considered themselves ‘safe’ have let down the people they were elected to represent, passing disastrous policies that are crushing working families and our communities.”
The committee’s updated “Districts in Play” list, released Wednesday, marks a significant expansion of the House battlefield.
Among the seats added is North Carolina’s 9th District, held by Rep. Richard Hudson, who chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee. Trump carried the seat, which extends from the Piedmont Triad area to parts of Fayetteville, by nearly 16 points two years ago, according to calculations by Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales. But Democrats hope Army veteran Richard Ojeda, a former West Virginia state senator who’s lost multiple bids for Congress, can pull off the upset.
