Battle lines shift in House races as Republicans retreat from front-line districts

Republicans are retreating from several key U.S. House races, while Democrats are racing to raise funds for candidates who seemed unlikely to win earlier this year

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Republicans were retreating Tuesday from a handful of battleground U.S. House races while Democrats were racing to raise money to boost candidates who seemed like long shots earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Democrats' House campaign committee is eyeing openings in Republican-held districts and hoping to raise millions of dollars in the next week to fuel a late round of advertising that they say could net at least a half dozen more seats.

“A lot of seats are in the competitive range, and only really two are — maybe three — are possible Republican pickups," said David McIntosh, president of the conservative Club For Growth, noting voter dissatisfaction with the economy and Republican dissatisfaction with Congress' inability to pass Trump's SAVE Act regarding voter registration. "It looked like Republicans were weak, and so you’ve seen a lot of drop-off in enthusiasm.”

“You can tell now where people are competing based on where they’re putting the money,” said Stu Sandler, a Republican strategist working on House and statewide races this year.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to share private strategy conversations.

Likewise, the officials said the group won't keep spending in New Jersey's 7th District, where second-term Republican Rep. Tom Kean is facing off against Democrat Rebecca Bennett. Kean has been under scrutiny for his four-month absence from Congress, which he left unexplained until disclosing a mental health crisis upon his return. Kean, who won by 5.4 percentage points two years ago, has also faced questions over his support for Trump’s tariffs and the Iran war.

These races, as well as one in the Cincinnati, Ohio, area and one in east-central Michigan, have accounted for $13.3 million in Congressional Leadership Fund spending, more than 12% of its total through Oct. 13.

Sandler said his party needs to turn out voters who usually participate in presidential elections but often stay home in the midterms.

As House Republicans have retrenched, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee believes at least a dozen more races could be within striking distance. However, they need more money to take advantage.

The committee launched a $17 million fundraising drive, with a deadline of Oct. 22, to pump advertising onto the air in districts that were once seen as out of reach.

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