Salon: Here are the weak GOP seats that could let Dems win the House in '24
Bye George! Here are the weak GOP seats that could let Dems win the House in '24
George Santos and Lauren Boebert top the list of vulnerable Republicans and there are more than enough others
By RAE HODGE
Staff Reporter
PUBLISHED APRIL 23, 2023 6:00AM (EDT)
Technically, Democrats only need to flip five seats in. '24 to regain a majority but that's assuming they can hold all the seats of their own vulnerable members, which isn't a safe bet. For once, Democrats seem determined to go on the offensive, with a strategy that provides a thicker buffer against net losses and targets 31 seats from the party's New York war room.
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As Wasserman has repeatedly noted in recent months, gerrymandering has meant that most congressional districts are non-competitive,
but an unpopular presidential candidate can definitely change that calculus. Ironically, if Republicans nominate Donald Trump that's likely good news for Democrats in a number of suburban swing districts where many conservative and independent voters are tired of extremism and over the former president. Those voters could make Kevin McCarthy's tenure as House speaker exceedingly brief.
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Rep. George Santos (New York 3rd district) The already-notorious Long Island congressman with the largely fictional résumé and the nonexistent volleyball injuries (from a college he did not attend) heads their list of no-brainer losses. According to a Newsday/Siena College poll. 78% of the voters in Santos' own district (including 71% of Republicans) said they want him to resign. In first-quarter FEC filings, Santos' campaign is in the red, a truly bizarre thing to report: He claimed only $25,000 on hand, $715,000 in debt, just $5,000 raised and $8,000 refunded. The real kicker? As spotted by the New York Times, McCarthy's New York defense fund is missing just one name: George Santos. Ouch.
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Rep. Lauren Boebert (Colorado 3rd district) One of the biggest surprises of 2022 was something that didn't quite happen, as the ultra-MAGA Colorado congresswoman with a passion for firearms and a colorful past was re-elected by a whisker, eventually beating Democrat Adam Frisch by about 600 votes, the closest congressional race anywhere in the country. Frisch plans to be back for a rematch, and according to Punchbowl News, Republicans now view Boebert as their most vulnerable incumbent next year.