The NRCC just put out a memo that allegedly details its top two dozen Dem targets (sub. only):
| District | Representative |
|---|---|
| AZ-05 | Mitchell |
| AZ-08 | Giffords |
| CA-11 | McNerney |
| CT-05 | Murphy |
| FL-16 | Mahoney |
| GA-08 | Marshall |
| IL-08 | Bean |
| IN-09 | Hill |
| KS-02 | Boyda |
| KS-03 | Moore |
| KY-03 | Yarmuth |
| MN-01 | Walz |
| NH-01 | Shea-Porter |
| NH-02 | Hodes |
| NY-20 | Gillibrand |
| NY-24 | Arcuri |
| OR-05 | OPEN (Hooley) |
| PA-04 | Altmire |
| PA-08 | Murphy |
| PA-10 | Carney |
| PA-11 | Kanjorski |
| TX-22 | Lampson |
| TX-23 | Rodriguez |
| WI-08 | Kagen |
There are a lot of names that are NOT on here – names which the GOP has talked a lot of smack about in the past, like John Hall up in NY-19, or Zack Space in OH-18. Even some of the targets that are on here are no longer looking so great. For instance, Republican moneybags “Quico” Canseco just got his ass whooped in the TX-23 GOP primary. And in OR-05, you’ve got a primary showdown between corrupt loser Kevin Mannix and Mike Erickson, who I’m told is an even bigger freakshow.
Plus, you’ve got the FBI investigating the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars from the NRCC. It’s never been a better time to be a Republican.
Than who’s there.
Now I wish that Zack Space had not made some of his recent overtures to the right. They were,at best, unnecessary. I never thought that he was seriously threatened (not in 2008 in Ohio!) and disagree with some of his (successful) overtures to the NRA. To me, their endorsement is not a positive.
In the meantime, the GOP in this state is still fractured and divided. They were not able to get a top tier candidate for this seat.
Safe. His likely opponent, State Sen. Dick Day could potentially pose a threat but seeing as he hasnt raised much at all, Walz should break 55% easily.
I am sure they’ll make future Reps. Foster and Cazayoux “targets” as well.
The question is, other than naming them and sending some emails to the Politico, how exactly are they going to “target” these districts? They don’t have any money! Virtually every name on that list has been a monster fundraiser.
The reason these names are relevant is that these are who the GOP 527s are going to go after. The NRCC is toothless.
John Barrow, Joe Courtney, none of the Iowa Dems, Joe Donnelly, Brad Ellsworth, Zach Space, etc.
This is a list I wanted to see for a while. Of course, targeting them and having enough money to fight in these 24 districts is a completely different matter.
While the NRCC lost Canseco who could self-fund, they got a candidate with a voter base in north/nw Bexar County, where a lot of the vote is going to come from. As Larson showed on Tuesday, it was the vote in north/nw Bexar County that gave him the win.
This was problem before redistricting, and is still a problem even after. When Cuellar ran against Bonilla in 2002, he nearly beat him, until the votes from north/nw Bexar County came in.
in CT against Murphy.
And I’m thinking Bean in IL will be a waste of their time as well.
The West Virginia GOP tried to field challengers against Rahall and Mollohan. The state delegate they wanted to take on Mollohan turned out to have made up large parts of his military record and the candidate challenging Rahall sent in his election entry form without his signature. Apparently the state party will be able to put him on the ballot, but what a maroon.