All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for election every two years. Historically, the party out of power has gained seats in the midterm elections. The last major “shift” was in 2010 when the Tea Party “flipped” the House and served as a serious brake on the Obama agenda. The November elections offer a similar chance for Democrats to flip the House. Democrats need to pick up 23 seats to take control of the House. An estimated 75 seats are seen as competitive with more than 30 of these actively in play for Democrats to win. This couldn’t be more important!
Polls are changing and so is the political environment. The events surrounding the Kavanaugh nomination have amped up the intensity surrounding the November election. The following races are seen as crucial for Democrats to contest if they want to flip the House. They are characterized by their common characteristics (thanks to the New York Times!) Find races that are close to you and volunteer, donate money, and help get out the vote.
Metro Melting Pots: These districts are diverse, relatively well educated and located outside major cities. Many went for Hillary Clinton in 2016. Democrats need to energize the voters in these districts to get to the polls: Arizona 2nd; California 25th, 39th, 49th; Colorado 6th; Florida 26th, 27th; Georgia 6th; Nevada 3rd; New York 11th; Ohio 1st; Texas 7th, 32nd; Virginia 10th.
Wealthy Suburbs: These suburbs have well educated, mostly white professionals who, while traditionally Republican, tend to dislike President Trump. And this has become more and more true for the women voters who live there. They are upset that their representatives have not “checked” the President. These are the seats are crucial for Democrats to win in order to flip the House: California 45th, 48th; Florida 16th; Illinois 6th, 14th; Michigan 8th, 11th; Minnesota 2nd, 3rd; Missouri 2nd; New Jersey 7th, 11th; North Carolina 2nd, 9th, 13th; Ohio 12th; Pennsylvania 1st, 6th, 17th; South Carolina 1st; Washington 8th.
Outer Suburbs: These once reliably Republican areas are being challenged by centrist Democrats, many of them veterans. Anger at the President is boosting Democratic optimism in many of these districts. They include: Arkansas 2nd; California 50th; Florida 15th, 18th; Illinois 13th; Iowa 3rd; Kansas 2nd, 3rd; Kentucky 6th; Nebraska 2nd; New Hampshire 1st; New Jersey 2nd, 3rd; New York 19th, 22nd, 24th, 27th; Pennsylvania 7th; Virginia 2nd, 7th; Washington 3rd, 5th; Wisconsin 1st.
The Open West: Mostly conservative leaning districts, many of these are agriculture dependent and with varied ethnic makeups. Health care, cuts to national parks, and immigration are mobilizing issues in these districts: Arizona 1st; California 10th, 21st; Montana at-large; New Mexico 2nd; Texas 23rd; Utah 4th.
Rural Trump Country: Voters here tend to like Trump more than they like Republicans. Democrats have a history of success with blue collar voters here and are trying to win again by focusing on health care and retirement security. The districts in play are: Illinois 12th; Iowa 1st; Maine 2nd; Minnesota 1st, 8th; Pennsylvania 8th, 10th, 16th; Virginia 5th; West Virginia 3rd.
Call To Action
Find a contested race near you or people you know – spread the word, volunteer, give money and work to make a difference! Use these resources if you need ideas…
Swing Left is focused on flipping the House. Go there for accurate information on competitive races near you.
For one stop campaign donations, go to ActBlue.
You can get information, donate and learn more at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee home page.
Finally, here is a campaign approach for those who wish to carry the progressive message to the rural areas of America which are sometimes written off as Trump country. An organization called Tech Solidarity has created The Great Slate - 11 grassroots progressives running in diverse, mostly rural, Republican leaning districts. You can find the fundraising page and links to all the candidates at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/great_slate