Dems leave few House seats unchallenged in 2018 midterms
In an attempt to regain control in the House of Representatives, Democrats are leaving very few House seats unchallenged in the 2018 midterm elections, according to New York Times report.
The Times, citing Federal Election Commission filings, reports that nearly one year out from the election, Democratic candidates have filed in all but 20 House districts currently held by Republicans. In contrast, Democrats in at least 80 districts have no Republican challenger for their seat.
Taking a page from the recent Senate race in Alabama, Democrats are now eyeing more conservative seats that were uncontested in the 2016, such as races in overwhelmingly red states like Texas, Arkansas and Nebraska.
Democrats are also hopeful these long-shot races will also prove to be big ticket fundraising areas, mirroring the major hauls in both the Alabama and the special election for a House seat in Georgia earlier this year.
From Oct. 1 through Nov. 22, Democrat Doug Jones raised $10,101,243, compared to embattled Republican Roy Moore's $1,767,365 ahead of the Alabama special election. In the finals days of the race, Jones had more than $2.5 million on hand one week out, compared to Moore's more than $600,000, according to FEC filings.
In Georgia, Democrat Jon Ossoff's campaign raised a record $30 million for the party in the Sixth Congressional District, although Ossoff went on to lose the election.
The national party hasn't been as successful at drumming up cash. Republicans out-fundraised the Democratic National Committee by over $6 million during the Summer, with Democrats raising just $3.8 million in July, a level they hadn't hit since 2007.
DNC officials have since chalked up those stagnant numbers to a rebuilding year during new DNC Chair Tom Perez's first six months in the role, and instead touted small-dollar contributions and grassroots enthusiasm -- something that helped ensure victories in marquee contests in Alabama and Virginia this year.