Democratic House campaign arm adds two seats to battlefield map

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is expanding its House battlefield for 2022, adding two districts in Colorado and Nebraska to its list of pickup opportunities. 

The group will now look to pick up Colorado’s new 8th Congressional District in this year’s midterm elections and is also hoping to flip Nebraska’s 2nd District, which is currently represented by Rep. Don Bacon (R), according to plans shared first with The Hill. 

As part of the move, the group is adding Colorado state Rep. Yadira Caraveo (D) and Nebraska state Sen. Tony Vargas (D) to its “Red to Blue” program, which gives top-tier candidates access to organizational and fundraising support from the DCCC.

“Yadira and Tony are the kind of public servants American families can trust to deliver for them in Washington,” Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.), the chairman of the DCCC, said in a statement. “We’re fired up about the folks stepping forward to fight for families by lowering costs, creating good paying jobs, and advocating for a more just country.” 

“We’ve got a strong team that is going to help us hold our House majority and I’m glad to have Yadira and Tony in the fight to protect our progress for the American people.” 

By adding Caraveo and Vargas to the program, the DCCC brings its list of Red to Blue candidates up to 14. It also expands the program’s list of Latino candidates from two to four.

Democrats are defending an ultra-narrow majority in the House this year. Republicans need to net just five seats in the November midterm elections to recapture control of the lower chamber and are expected to make significant gains from the decennial redistricting process alone.

Democrats are hoping to limit their vulnerabilities by expanding their House battleground map as much as possible. Colorado’s new 8th District is considered a “toss-up” seat, according to the Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election handicapper, putting it in play for candidates from both parties.

But flipping Bacon’s seat in Nebraska may prove difficult for Democrats. The Cook Political Report currently rates the state’s 2nd District as “likely Republican.”