House Dems 'should be shaking in their boots,' GOP rep says. How Republicans plan to grow majority

Ken Tran, USA TODAY
·2 min read
3.8k
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Looking to expand their narrow majority in the chamber, the campaign arm of House Republicans has released a target list of vulnerable seats held by Democrats that could be crucial in determining which party controls Congress in 2024.

The National Republican Congressional Committee is targeting 37 seats, including multiple seats Republicans came just short of capturing in the 2022 midterm elections. They lost some races by less than one percentage point.

"Republicans are in the majority and on offense," NRCC chair Richard Hudson, R-N.C., said in a statement.

How Republicans plan to grow their House majority

The committee plans to grow the Republican House majority by building strong campaigns around talented recruits "who can communicate the dangers of Democrats’ extreme agenda," Hudson said.

"These House Democrats should be shaking in their boots," he said.

Stay in the conversation on politics: Sign up for the OnPolitics newsletter

Related: House races were very uncompetitive in 2022. The 2024 elections are projected to be even worse.

U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., speaks at a bill signing ceremony for H.J. Res. 26 at the U.S. Capitol Building on March 10, 2023 in Washington, DC.
U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., speaks at a bill signing ceremony for H.J. Res. 26 at the U.S. Capitol Building on March 10, 2023 in Washington, DC.

Republicans want to flip dozens of seats

The list includes 35 Democratic incumbents and two soon-to-be open seats held by Reps. Katie Porter, D-Calif., and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., who are both retiring to run for Senate.

The campaign arm of House Democrats, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, released its own list of vulnerable “Frontline” members on Friday, identifying 29 members that Democrats will have to defend if they want to reclaim the House.

The NRCC’s list is more ambitious, including all but one of the DCCC’s Frontline members on its target list, with the addition of 8 other members.

Countdown to 2024: These candidates have already announced Senate plans for next election

Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., addresses the media, Thursday, March 2, 2023, in Detroit, about her candidacy for the U.S. Senate in 2024.
Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., addresses the media, Thursday, March 2, 2023, in Detroit, about her candidacy for the U.S. Senate in 2024.

What’s at stake?

Republicans currently hold a thin four seat majority in the House, giving outsized influence to the party’s most conservative members in the chamber as they proved during Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s historic 15 rounds of voting for the top spot in the House.

Expanding that narrow majority could give McCarthy more flexibility in controlling his conference for key legislative business. House Republicans already appear to be divided on strategy for the upcoming debt ceiling showdown.

Related: Biden slams conservative Republicans spending demands amid debt ceiling debate

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., center, speaks as members of the House Freedom Caucus hold a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, March 10, 2023. From left are Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Fla., Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., and Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: House GOP targeting dozens of Dems in 2024 campaigns