The coronavirus pandemic’s poisonous effect on the economy and stay-at-home orders imposed on both candidates and the voters in their districts are hurting the GOP’s chances of taking back the House in the fall.
Republicans need 18 seats to win the House majority they lost in 2018. But they lack well-funded candidates in some of the most fertile political ground.
According to the Cook Political Report, of the 30 Democrats who sit in districts won by President Trump in 2016, 11 do not have a Republican challenger who raised over $200,000 in the bank at the start of 2020. That’s due in part to some states having delayed their primaries as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.
Additionally, the median Democrat among the 30 seats finished 2019 with $1.8 million on hand, compared to $247,000 for the median leading Republican challenger.
“That’s bad news for Republicans, who still have a few glaring recruitment holes. This week, we’re shifting our ratings in ten districts, including four freshman Democrats from Toss Up to Lean Democratic,” Cook Political Report’s David Wasserman writes.
The four freshman Democrats that were shifted from “Toss up to Lean D” are Reps. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, Antonio Delgado of New York, Lauren Underwood of Illinois, and Ben McAdams of Utah.
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The ratings for Rep. Sean Casten, a first-term Illinois Democrat, and Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a Florida Democrat, shifted from “Lean D to Likely D.”
Only three Republican Republican House members’ races changed. North Carolina Rep. Dan Bishop’s race shifted from “Likely R to Solid R,” while Missouri Rep. Ann Wagner went from “Likely R to Lean R.” North Carolina Rep. Richard Hudson’s race shifted from “Solid R to Likely R.”
Republicans, who were already struggling with fundraising and recruitment prior to the coronavirus outbreak, are looking at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as a foil to assist their efforts in defeating Democrat incumbents.
“It’s more important than ever for Republicans to retake the House majority. Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats are doing everything they can to score political points while American lives are at stake and we are confident voters will hold them accountable for their reckless actions,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike McAdams told the Washington Examiner.
