Nine House races have been shifted to Democrats in a new forecast published Monday morning.
The Monday Cook Political Report, which publishes nonpartisan analysis of U.S. elections and campaigns, moved multiple seats that were Republican-favored to either a closer-than-expected race or a toss-up.
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Two races that were leaning Republican switched to toss-up. Last week the Cook Political Report predicted that Democrats would gain 30 to 40 seats, up from 25 to 35 seats.
Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., is facing a re-election fight against Democrat George Scott, and Perry is now neck-and-neck with his opponent, according to the report. Republican Karen Handel, who won a special election race in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District in 2017, is now in a toss-up race with Democrat Lucy McBath.
The forecast already favored California’s 49th District, where retiring Republican Rep. Darrell Issa currently holds a congressional seat, to switch blue. But the new forecast indicates that the favors shifted even further to the left as the district went from leaning Democratic to likely Democratic, giving candidate Mike Levin the leg up.
Five other races still favor Republicans to win in their respective districts, but the shift in forecast indicates that the races will be closer than originally expected.
Three of the five shifted from solid Republican to likely Republican and the two other races went from likely Republican to leaning Republican.
Only one of the nine races that shifted toward Democrats went from a toss-up to leaning Democratic, the race in Washington’s 8th Congressional District.
In the forecast there was only one race that shifted to favor Republicans. Arizona’s 1st Congressional District shifted from likely Democratic to leaning Democratic, where incumbent Rep. Tom O’Halleran lost some of his edge over his Republican opponent Wendy Rogers.
[Also read: Democrats closing gap in key Senate races as late polls defy forecasts]
