House Democrats‘ campaign arm is adding five new Republican seats to its target list for the 2026 midterm elections, bringing the total to 44 districts “in play” for the party as it seeks to turn public opinion in its favor to win back the House majority.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is adding four GOP members and one open seat to its “Districts in Play.” The new targets are Reps. Jeff Crank (R-CO), Brad Finstad (R-MN), Ryan Zinke (R-MT), and John McGuire (R-VA), as well as the seat left vacant by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), who is running for governor in 2026.
The DCCC is also launching nominee fundraising pages so grassroots donors can contribute to the eventual Democratic nominee who is running in a district in play.
Democrats’ chances of flipping the new districts in play are slim but not impossible. Crank’s and Zinke’s seats are rated as “likely Republican” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, while Finstad’s, McGuire’s, and Mace’s seats are considered “solid Republican.”
But the addition of the five districts to the DCCC’s target list shows that Democrats are bullish on flipping the House majority this fall. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) only has a one-seat majority after Rep. Christian Menefee (D-TX) won a special election runoff and was sworn in last week to replace the late Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner.
The House majority typically flips to the party out of the White House in a midterm cycle, and Democrats only need a net gain of three seats to take back the majority. The Cook Political Report has Democrats projected to win as many as 14 seats, shifting 18 competitive seats toward Democrats earlier this year.
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A majority of wins in the last four midterm elections have come from districts that a president carried or lost by less than 5 points. There are only four Republican incumbents who represent seats won by former Vice President Kamala Harris, and only 10 seats where President Donald Trump won by 5 points or less in the 2024 election.
The five new DCCC targets all won reelection in 2024 handily. Finstad, Mace, and McGuire defeated their Democratic opponents by nearly 60% of the vote, with Zinke winning by 52.3% and Crank by 55%.
