Should Republicans recapture the House, the party is poised to bring a new class of outsiders, political warriors, and anti-establishment politicians to Washington, D.C.
Similar to former President Donald Trump, many of the top new recruits are political newcomers and the congregation as a whole appears to lack a centralized policy agenda that they all unify around, drawing a distinction with the prior red wave in 2010 when Republicans railed against massive spending during the Tea Party revolt.
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At least three GOP House hopefuls were at the Jan. 6, 2021 “Stop the Steal” rally that preceded the Capitol riot. Even more candidates have dabbled in dubious claims that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump.
An analysis from the Washington Post found that just shy of 150 House Republican hopefuls in races where the GOP is favored to win have peddled election denialism. Another roughly two dozen or so are locked in competitive races, per the analysis.
Sprinkled in with political flamethrowers are centrist contenders hoping to help make in-roads in traditionally Democratic stronghold terrain. In Rhode Island, for example, Republican Allan Fung has billed himself as a centrist and sought to woo many left-leaning voters and independents with a moderate appeal.
He is running in a district that President Joe Biden won by roughly 14 points in the 2020 election, and is running a fiercely competitive race in most polling. Fung is one of several GOP hopefuls in New England hoping to end the GOP drought in the area. Currently, Republicans have no one in a House delegation from New England.
Other strong competitors include Republican George Logan who is running within the margin of error against the Democrat Jahana Hayes in Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District and Karoline Leavitt vying against Rep. Chris Pappas (D) for New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District.
Another feature of the next class of House Republicans is heightened diversity. The new class is poised to be one of the most racially and geographically diverse groups of Republicans in recent history. Currently, there are at least 28 black nominees, 33 Hispanics, 13 Asian Americans, and three Native American candidates running, per the Associated Press.
“This is going to be the most diverse class of Republicans — ever — in every sense of the word,” former Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL), told the Associated Press. “What it means for governing is a big question mark.”
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House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) played a pronounced role in recruiting many GOP contenders for hot races across the country in which the party is seeking to flip Democrat seats, and has crisscrossed the country stumping or fundraising for many of them during the midterm election cycle.
Republicans are heavily favored to recapture the lower chamber, with 211 races deemed as leaning, likely, or solid Republican by the Cook Political Report. Either party needs to get to 219 to win the House and there are about 33 races considered a toss-up by the Cook Political Report, the bulk of which involve Democratic incumbents.
