Republicans are the clear favorites to win the House majority in 2022 with at least five Democrat-held seats already leaning towards the GOP, forecaster states
- Cook Political Report analysis shows Republicans have edge in House races
- Of those surveyed, it suggested five Democratic districts were now in GOP reach
- Republicans need only to flip five seats to take control of the House in midterms
- Only one of the red districts is currently leaning blue, according to the report
- However, dozens more districts have yet to have their boundaries finalized
Republicans are in poll position to reclaim the House of Representatives next year, according to new analysis from the respected Cook Political Report, which showed they have decisive edge in some of the critical midterm races.
Three Democratic-held districts ‘lean Republican’ and two more are in the ‘likely Republican’ column, while only one red seat currently leans blue in the report published on Thursday.
With district boundaries in 19 states still being finalized, it gives Republicans – who need to flip five seats to take the House – an early lead in handing control from Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Kevin McCarthy.
‘Still a long way to go, but Republicans have clear edge for control,’ Dave Wasserman, a Cook analyst, posted on Twitter.
Two safe Democratic seats in North Carolina and Georgia have already effectively been colored red, because of new district lines.
Republicans, led by Kevin McCarthy, are in poll position to reclaim the House of Representatives in next year’s midterms, ousting Nancy Pelosi as speaker
Latest analysis by the Cook Political Report of some key races shows more Democratic-held seats are vulnerable to being flipped than Republican districts
And it comes on top of President Biden’s dire poll ratings, which Republicans will believe will translate into an emphatic rejection of Democratic candidates in November.
The latest analysis suggests Democrats will have to defend more ‘toss-up’ seats that Republicans – eight to six, further making their job harder.
Republicans believe they have momentum as the calendar flips to 2022.
‘House Republicans are targeting 70 Democrat held seats,’ said McCarthy in a fundraising appeal sent by email on Friday.
‘We are going to take back the largest House majority in a decade.’
They know that holding the White House, Senate, and House is a recipe for voters to turn against Democratic candidates, and they are further emboldened by strong showings in gubernatorial races in November.
As a result, they added 13 House Democrats to their target list for the midterms.
They hope Glenn Youngkin’s victory over Terry McAuliffe in Virginia, a state that President Biden won by 10 percentage points a year ago, shows they are on course to retake the House in 2022.
The report suggests Republicans have the early edge, said a Cook Political Report analyst
It means the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) now has a list of 70 Democrats it believes are vulnerable.
‘In a cycle like this, no Democrat is safe,’ said NRCC Chairman Tom Emmer.
‘Voters are rejecting Democrat policies that have caused massive price increases, opened our borders, and spurred a nationwide crime wave.’
The Democrats added to the list are: Ed Permutter in Arizona; Joe Courtney in Colorado, Darren Soto in Florida, Sanford Bishop in Georgia; Fraynk Mrvan in Indiana; David Trone in Maryland; G.K. Butterfield in North Carolina; Annie Kuster in New Hampshire; Teresa Leger-Fernández in New Mexico; Jim Cooper in Tennessee; and Jennifer Wexton in Virginia.