Democrats Target Vulnerable Republican Congressional Seats

Emboldened Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) chair Representative Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) announced this week that the DCCC has is targeting 33 congressional seats that are key to helping Democrats regaining a House majority in 2024.

The DCCC’s “offensive target list” includes “competitive Republican-held or open districts across the country that are critical battlegrounds” where the House Democrat campaign arm will work hard to unseat “MAGA Republicans and win a Democratic House majority this cycle.” Two of the seats targeted are held by the embattled George Santos (R-N.Y.) and firebrand Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), who squeaked out a victory after a close recount last November.

The DCCC announcement stated:

“The vulnerable Republicans represented on this list have worked hand in hand with Speaker McCarthy to enable the most dangerous wings of their party to threaten our jobs, roll back women’s freedoms, endanger Americans’ economic security, and prioritize politics over people,” said DCCC Chair Rep. Suzan DelBene. “The DCCC is prepared to recruit exciting and battle-ready candidates in these key districts and ensure voters see the clear contrast between Democrats’ track record of delivering for the middle class, and Republicans’ radical agenda that puts Americans’ pocketbooks, communities, and livelihoods at risk.”

Knowing that it takes money to win elections and to get ahead of Republican fundraising, the DCCC shared that for the first time ever it is launching “nominee fund pages, which allows grassroots donors to donate now to contribute to the eventual Democratic nominee in these Districts In Play.” Successful fundraising, of course, is often associated with winning candidates.

As for Santos, if New York Republicans want to keep his seat on their side of the aisle, they might need to “primary” him and place a better candidate in that race to face the Democrat challenger. In addition to Santos, the DCCC’s offensive target list includes five other New York’s Republican representative districts they deem vulnerable. Those seats are currently held by Anthony D’Esposito, Nick LaLota, Mike Lawler, Marc Molinaro, and Brandon Williams.

DCCC Spokesperson Nebeyatt Betre stated:

Each of these Republicans have worked alongside the most dangerous wings of their party to threaten job creation, roll back women’s freedoms, and endanger New Yorkers’ economic security. The DCCC is prepared to recruit exciting and battle-ready candidates in New York to win these seats and ensure voters see the clear contrast between Democrats’ track record of delivering for the middle class, and Republicans’ radical agenda that puts New Yorkers at risk.

Lauren Boebert won her second term by only 546 votes, defeating Democratic nominee Adam Frisch in what turned out to be the closest congressional race in the country. Frisch has announced his rematch bid to unseat Boebert, the outspoken Republican house Freedom Caucus communications chair. The DCCC has no intention of ignoring this seat, and has a bullseye on Boebert’s district.

“Lauren Boebert is more obsessed with catching headlines and being the token MAGA extremist than actually working for everyday Coloradans. Between her dangerous conspiracies and outright racist bigotry, CO-03 voters can see that Lauren Boebert is an unserious member of Congress, unwilling to go to bat for them on issues facing Colorado. Her time in Congress is ticking down,” said DCCC spokesperson Tommy Garcia.

In addition to the DCCC, Boebert will face efforts by the left-leaning advocacy group Rocky Mountain Values (RMV), which, according to a recent Colorado Politics article, “will hold Representative Lauren Boebert accountable for siding with the most extreme voices in Washington over her constituents in Colorado’s 3rd District.”

The DCCC and groups such as the RMV across the nation smell blood in the water, and are already drawing up battle plans and building strategies to regain a Democrat majority in the House in 2024. The Republicans they have targeted will need to prepare for the fight of their political careers to ensure the “red ripple” of the last election doesn’t get lost in a political abyss by a Democrat rip-tide.

Here’s the full DCCC districts-in-play list: