5 red-leaning House seats

Democrats add 5 red-leaning House seats to their battleground map

The DCCC is targeting new seats in Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, South Carolina and Virginia.

Andrew Howard

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on Tuesday added five more red-leaning districts to its battleground map, the second recent expansion of the list, as the party remains bullish on flipping the House this fall.

Democrats are going after Reps. Jeff Crank (R-Colo.), Brad Finstad (R-Minn.), Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) and John McGuire (R-Va.), as well as South Carolina’s 1st District, which is open because GOP Rep. Nancy Mace is running for governor.

President Donald Trump carried all of the districts by nine or more points in 2024. But Democrats argue they are in play, pointing to repeated overperformances in special elections over the last year.

“Democrats are on offense, and our map reflects the fact that everyday Americans are tired of Republicans’ broken promises and ready for change in Congress,” DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) said in a statement.

The additions bring Democrats to 44 total red-leaning targets. The DCCC’s Republican counterpart, by contrast, is targeting only 26 House Democrats. McGuire’s Virginia House district could also become more Democratic-friendly should Democrats’ plans to gerrymander the state’s map come to fruition.

Republicans have repeatedly cast Democrats’ list — which features numerous districts the GOP won by double digits last cycle — as unrealistic.

“National Democrats are daydreaming while the ground collapses beneath them,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Mike Marinella said in a statement Tuesday, pointing to strong fundraising for the GOP and messy primaries for Democrats.