Jubilant Republicans on Wednesday added 13 House Democrats to their target list for next year's midterms after a come-from-behind ...
Jubilant Republicans on Wednesday added 13 House Democrats to their target list for next year's midterms after a come-from-behind win in the Virginia governor's race and a too-close to call contest in New Jersey.
They hope Glenn Youngkin's victory over Terry McAuliffe in a state that President Biden won by 10 percentage points a year ago shows they are on course to retake the House in 2022 and oust Nancy Pelosi as Speaker.
It means the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) now has a list of 70 Democrats it believes are vulnerable.
'In a cycle like this, no Democrat is safe,' said NRCC Chairman Tom Emmer.
'Voters are rejecting Democrat policies that have caused massive price increases, opened our borders, and spurred a nationwide crime wave.'
Glenn Youngkin's win in Virginia and other good results prompted the National Republican Congressional Committee to expand its midterm target list
Republicans now believe 70 Democratic House seats are vulnerable in 2022, increasing their optimism that they can retake the House and oust Nancy Pelosi as Speaker
The Democrats added to the list are: Ed Permutter in Arizona; Joe Courtney in Colorado, Darren Soto in Florida, Sanford Bishop in Georgia; Fraynk Mrvan in Indiana; David Trone in Maryland; G.K. Butterfield in North Carolina; Annie Kuster in New Hampshire; Teresa Leger-Fernández in New Mexico; Jim Cooper in Tennessee; and Jennifer Wexton in Virginia.
Republicans need a gain of just five seats to take back the House next year.
Democrats already faced an uphill battle to keep control. Parties that control the Senate, House and White House generally fare badly in midterm elections.
But Youngkin's victory in a bellwether state may suggest things could be even more dire.
Republicans will see his victory as providing a roadmap for future success.
The 50-year-old former private equity executive focused on education and culture war issues, embracing his party's outrage over discussion of racism in school.
But at the same time he kept his distance from former President Trump just enough to avoid alienating independents.
Republicans were also on course to wipe out the Democrats' 10-seat majority in Virginia's House of Delegates, and might snatch a one-seat advantage.
At the same time the contest in New Jersey went down to the wire.
Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli was performing better than expected against incumbent Democrat Phil Murphy.
Murphy trailed overnight but edged back to a 50-50 split as the Wednesday morning wore on.
Either way, the good night for Republican will worry a Democratic Party that has failed to pass Biden's massive domestic agenda with its wafer-thin majorities in the House and the Senate.
Sen. Chris Coons (Del.) said the party needed to 'have something real to run on' next year amid fears that its inability to pass President Biden vast spending plans had cost them dearly
Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell said the results showed voters treated last night's election as a national referendum on Biden.
'President Biden was only given a 50-50 Senate and a tiny majority in the House, but he decided to let the radical left run the country,' he said.
'Citizens wanted a return to normalcy but have gotten a never-ending series of government-created crises.
'The American people will not stand for this. That’s what voters told Democrats last night.'
Seasoned Democrats and outside groups say the party has to put an end to the infighting that has stalled Biden's legislation and left candidates without a compelling campaign message.
'The Build Back Better bill as crafted in the Senate and House is going to meet the needs of working families, reduce their costs and combat inflation in a positive way,' Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), a Biden ally, told MSNBC.
'I'd urge them to step forward and vote for it, because then we'd have something real to run on.'
The Democrats' campaign arm said Republicans were wrong to think the result in Virginia signalled a national takeover.
'The NRCC is mistaken if they think they can easily emulate a campaign that skipped a messy GOP primary, had no political record to defend, and routinely kept President Trump at arm’s length,' said Chris Taylor, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
;We have a year until the midterm elections, and on top of passing historic legislation that includes game-changing investments in our infrastructure and working families, Democrats are working to ensure battleground voters understand the grave danger that House Republicans and their extremism present to not only our families, but our democracy.'
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