The party needs to win 24 seats to make that happen and, as seen in the races below, Democrats are counting on swing districts, those held by retiring or resigned Republicans, districts won by Hillary Clinton in 2016, and the female candidates running in record numbers this year.
There are at least 41 Republicans who are retiring, have resigned or are running for another office, according to a count by ABC News. Polling shows President Donald Trump’s approval ratings are at a record low for an Oval Office occupant at this point in his presidency.
These factors, plus the hope that Republican control of Congress and the White House has rallied their base to come out in droves, are fueling the Democratic drive in the midterm elections.
Control of one chamber on Capitol Hill would give Democrats the power to block the Republican agenda and use their majority power in the respective congressional oversight committee to launch investigations into the White House.
And those actions will set the stage for the 2020 presidential election.
Here are the House races to watch.
Women take the field in Illinois’ 6th Congressional District.
THE PLAYERS
Rep. Peter Roskam
Republican
Six-term Congressman for Illinois 6th Congressional District, Member of the House Ways and Means Committee, and Chairman of the House Ways and Means’ Subcommittee on Health
Age: 56 (September 13, 1961)
Carole Cheney
Democrat
Former District Chief of Staff for Rep. Bill Foster (IL-11)
Age: 57 (December 24, 1960)
Sean Casten
Democrat
Scientist and Clean Energy Entrepreneur, Co-Founder and Former CEO of Recycled Energy Development LLC
Age: 46 (November 23, 1971)
Amanda Howland
Democrat
Attorney, and Trustee at the College of Lake County
Age: 65 (November 29, 1952)
Ryan Huffman
Democrat
Data Analyst
Age: 31 (May 17, 1986)
Kelly Mazeski
Democrat
Scientist, and Illinois Environmental Council Board Member
Age: 58 (May 23, 1959)
Becky Anderson Wilkins
Democrat
Co-Owner, Anderson’s bookshop and Naperville City Councilor
Age: 58 (February 23, 1958)
Jennifer Zordani
Democrat
Attorney, Zordani Law
Age: 55 (September 21, 1963)
THE STAKES
Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call/Getty ImagesRep. Peter Roskam, R-Ill., listens during the House Ways and Means Committee markup hearing on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Nov. 7, 2017.
The 2017 off-year elections saw a surge in at least one important voting group — suburban women. This group will be vitally important in Illinois’ 6th Congressional District race.
Republican incumbent Peter Roskam, a former member of House leadership, handily won re-election in 2016, despite Hillary Clinton beating President Donald Trump by seven points in the district. Roskam has generally supported President Trump’s agenda — voting to repeal Obamacare and voting for the Republican-backed tax plan.
Now a crowded Democratic primary field is looking to flip the vulnerable suburban district from red to blue.
There are currently seven Democratic challengers vying for the chance to take on Roskam in November.
One hallmark of this race is the gender breakdown of the Democratic field. Five of the challengers are women — which could draw those coveted suburban female voters to the voting booth.
Kelly Mazeski —- a breast cancer survivor who’s passionate about the issue of healthcare -— has snagged an endorsement from EMILY’s List, and leads the Democratic pack in fundraising ahead of the March 20 primary.
Other challengers in the race include Roskam’s challenger in 2016, Amanda Howland, small business owner Becky Anderson Wilkins, former district Chief of Staff for Rep. Bill Foster (IL-11), Carole Cheney, and attorney Jennifer Zordani. Scientist and clean energy entrepreneur Sean Casten and 31-year old data analyst Ryan Huffman, who is serving as his own campaign manager, round out the Democratic candidates.
KEY DATES
March 20, 2018: Primary election
November 6, 2018: General election
New Hampshire 1st Congressional District’s history of swing seats set up an early battle
THE PLAYERS
State Sen. Andy Sanborn
Republican
Senator in the state’s 9th District
Age: N/A
Eddie Edwards
Republican
Retired Chief of Police for South Hampton, Navy Veteran, Served as Chief of New Hampshire State Division of Liquor Enforcement
Age: 49
Andy Martin
Republican
GOP counterterror expert; Executive Editor of ContrarianCommentary.com
Age: N/A
Rep. Mindi Messmer
Democrat
Current State Representative
Age: N/A
Rep. Mark MacKenzie
Democrat
Manchester State Representative
Age: N/A
Maura Sullivan
Democrat
U.S. Marine, Iraq Veteran; Former Assistant Secretary of U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs
Age: N/A
Lincoln Soldati
Democrat
Strafford County Attorney, Veteran
Age: 69
Terence O’Rourke
Democrat
Rochester City Attorney; Former state and federal prosecutor; Iraq War veteran
Age: N/A
Chris Pappas
Democrat
Age: N/A
Deaglan McEachern
Democrat
Age: N/A
Dylan Robinson
Libertarian
Age: N/A
THE STAKES
Mary Schwalm/AP, FILESteve Bannon speaks during an event in Manchester, N.H., Nov. 9, 2017.
The outcome in New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District –- a classic swing seat that flips with virtually every recent political wave — will determine where a small, yet powerful district stands looking into 2020.
If a Democrat maintains the seat, the party can maintain a momentum going into the next presidential election.
The National Republican Congressional Committee is targeting the district in this election in which U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter is not seeking reelection.
The 1st Congressional District covers the Greater Manchester, Seacoast and Lakes Region of New Hampshire, a predominantly white, middle-aged and middle-class population. Seven Democrats, three Republicans and one Libertarian are all vying to fill the seat.
A key issue for the candidates will be how they can help address the opioid crisis that has become a national public health crisis. New Hampshire has begun to tackle ways to combat the problem with with new laws, regulations, and kits to avoid the rapidly increasing overdose deaths.
State Sen. Andy Sanborn has been in that legislative chamber since 2010 and has held a state Senate seat in multiple districts.
Eddie Edwards sits on the board of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Hampshire and is the chairman of the Governor’s Advisory Group on Juvenile Justice.
State Rep. Mark MacKenzie is also focused on helping address the opioid crisis as well as jobs, infrastructure, affordable childcare and paid family leave.
KEY DATES
Candidate Filing Period: June 6-15
Primary Election: Sept. 11
General Election: Nov. 6
Moderate GOP incumbent who opposed Trump’s legislative agenda seeks sixth term
THE PLAYERS
Rep. Leonard Lance
Republican
Incumbent, elected in 2009
Age: 65
Lindsay Brown
Republican
Product manager at the New York Post
Age: 28
Peter Jacob
Democrat
Community organizer
Age: N/A
Goutam Jois
Democrat
Activist, attorney, comedian
Age: 35
Linda Weber
Democrat
Business executive
Age:
Tom Malinowski
Democrat
Former assistant Secretary of State under Obama
Age: 52
Lisa Mandelblatt
Democrat
Former attorney and current substitute teacher
Age: 53
David Pringle
Democrat
Environmental advocate
Age: 51
Scott Salmon
Democrat
Attorney
Age: N/A
THE STAKES
Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via Getty ImagesConstituents show their disagreement as Rep. Leonard Lance answers a question during his town hall meeting at the Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg, New Jersey, Feb. 22, 2017.
There are 23 congressional districts in the country held by Republicans but won by Hillary Clinton in 2016.
One of them is New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District where GOP incumbent Leonard Lance faces his toughest reelection fight since he was first elected in 2008. Lance is hoping his votes against both the failed repeal of Obamacare and the GOP tax reform bill, which is particularly unpopular in the highly taxed state, can help him stave off challenges from a field of Democrats, and even a primary challenge from a moderate Republican.
Clinton’s 2016 win in NJ-7 was by just a percentage point, and Lance defeated his Democratic opponent Peter Jacob — a community organizer who was endorsed by Bernie Sanders and is also running for the seat in 2018—by more than 10 points. The district is a wide cross-section of the central part of the state made up of mostly affluent, well-educated suburban areas, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Lindsay Brown, a product manager inspired to launch her campaign by the Women’s March that took place in Washington D.C. last year, is planning to challenge Lance as a Republican in the primary.
There are seven Democrats seeking a primary win. All are focused on making the election about President Donald Trump.
Among the candidates: Peter Jacob who lost to Lance in 2016; former assistant Secretary of State under Obama Tom Malinowski; Lisa Mandelblatt, a lawyer turned teacher who currently leads the field in fundraising; Linda Weber, a senior vice president at IDB Bank who has secured party endorsements in two counties; Scott Salmon, an attorney from Scotch Plains; Goutam Jois an activist, attorney, and comedian; and David Pringle, a chief strategist for NJ Clean Water Action.
KEY DATES
April 2: Democrat and Republican candidate petition filing deadline
June 5: Democrat and Republican primary
Nov. 6: general election
Analysis: Midterm clashes set to define Trump era
Strength in party strongholds: A key to midterm outcomes: Poll
2018 gubernatorial races could provide 2020 snapshots
In Senate race showdowns, tough odds for Democrats fuel Republican hopes
Pennsylvania special election is latest barometer of parties’ strength in Trump age
THE PLAYERS
Conor Lamb
Democrat
Former assistant U.S. attorney, Marine Corps captain and current reservist
Age: 33 (born June 27, 1984)
Rick Saccone
Republican
Pennsylvania state representative, former U.S. Air Force counterintelligence and special agent
Age: 59 (born February 14, 1958)
THE STAKES
Pete Marovich/Getty ImagesRepublican Pennsylvania congressional candidate Rick Saccone and Vice President Mike Pence acknowledge the audience during a campaign event at the Bethel Park Community Center, Febru 2, 2018 in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.
In 2017 there was Montana, Georgia, Virginia and Alabama. Now, a congressional special election in southwest Pennsylvania is poised to become the latest referendum on President Donald Trump’s presidency and the resiliency of the Democratic party.
After running in two consecutive uncontested races, Republican Rep. Tim Murphy resigned from his seat representing the 18th Congressional District in October amid a sex scandal. Despite Trump’s nearly 20-point margin of victory in the district in 2016, Democrats see it as a flip opportunity after last year’s blue wave led to a few upsets in previously non-competitive areas.
Democrat Conor Lamb has distanced himself from his party’s establishment in order to attract voters in the deep-red region. Lamb has already announced he won’t support House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to lead congressional Democrats if he is elected, and campaign advertisements pledge bipartisanship while noting his military background and affinity for guns.
Republican Rick Saccone has not shied away from tying his candidacy to the president, once calling himself “Trump before Trump was Trump.” The White House has taken an interest as well, with Trump formally endorsing Saccone in January and Vice President Mike Pence travelling to the district on Friday to fundraise and campaign for the ardent conservative.
Complicating matters after the March special election is a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling that could lead to new district boundaries come November. Voters will likely be focused on the candidates’ plans to address the opioid epidemic, which has wreaked havoc in Appalachia, and on jobs, infrastructure and energy in the region, formerly a hub of the coal industry.
KEY DATES
March 13: Special election
Texan Democrats hope to flip 50 year GOP House seat in Harvey devastated area
THE PLAYERS
Rep. John Culberson
Republican
Incumbent
Age: 61 (August 24th, 1956)
Josh Butler
Democrat
Director of Development, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
James Cargas
Democrat
Attorney, Former Congressional Candidate
Age: 51 (October 17, 1966)
Lizzie Pannill Fletcher
Democrat
Lawyer
Age: 43 (February 13th, 1975)
Laura Moser
Democrat
Founder, Daily Action
Former Journalist
Age: 40 (August 30, 1977)
Ivan Sanchez
Democrat
Congressional Liaison, Entrepreneur
Alex Triantaphyllis
Age: 33 (March 31, 1984)
Democrat
Director of Immigration and Economic Opportunity at BakerRipley (formerly Neighborhood Centers), nonprofit community development organization
Jason Westin
Democrat
Oncologist
Age: N/A
THE STAKES
John L. Mone/AP PhotoCarlos Zamora shows a voter registration card from a pile placed on the counter of the Tierra Caliente taco truck in this Sept. 29, 2016 image in Houston.
Progressive energy is flowing deeply into the Houston suburbs, an area at the crossroads of immigration, changing demographics, hurricane reconstruction and rising as a top target for Democrats in 2018.
There is a push to flip this long standing red district blue. Nine-term GOP incumbent Rep. John Culberson has represented Texas-07 since 2001, but he could be facing his toughest reelection yet.
Although a Republican has held the seat for 50 years, Clinton carried the district in the 2016 election -– a major shift in a district that voted for presidential candidate Mitt Romney in 2012. The 7th Congressional District in Texas is predominately white but about 31 percent identify as Hispanic.
Culberson has spoken in support of President Trump’s controversial travel ban calling it a “necessary pause in the refugee program” until adequate background checks are created. He also supports a bipartisan solution to the debate over the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that is “compassionate” to those brought into the country as children.
Immigration is a pressing issue in this district but there is one name that is still on the forefront of voters’ minds -– Harvey. Many families are still rebuilding after Hurricane Harvey devastated this area and elected officials are hoping Congress can pass more funding to help Texans rebuild. Democrats think Republicans are falling short.
Among Culberson’s challengers are several Democrats including Laura Moser, a former journalist and the mother of the child whose photo went viral after she threw a tantrum at President Obama’s feet in the Oval Office; lawyer Lizzie Pannill Fletcher, endorsed by EMILY’s List, Colombian immigrant Ivan Sanchez and oncologist Dr. Jason Westin.
KEY DATES
March 6: primary election
Nov. 6: General Election
Utah’s Mia Love is first line of defense in GOP’s quest to defend House majority
THE PLAYERS
Rep. Mia Love
Republican
Incumbent
Age 42 (December 6, 1975)
Ben McAdams
Democrat
Salt Lake county mayor
Age: N/A
Adam Homer
Democrat
Software engineer
Age: N/A
Darlene McDonald
Democrat
Author, IT manager
Age: N/A
Tom Taylor
Democrat
Robotics engineer
Age: N/A
THE STAKES
ABC NewsCongresswoman-Elect (R-UT) Mia Love on ‘This Week’
Seizing the House majority would require Democrats to turn 24 seats from red to blue, and none are perhaps more critical than this lean-Republican district.
President Donald Trump is historically unpopular in Republican-heavy Utah. The Democratic mayor of Salt Lake County is outpacing his Democratic primary rivals in a quest to challenge incumbent GOP Rep. Mia Love, the first and only black female Republican elected to Congress, in a state where former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is also expected to run for Senate.
Love, a converted Mormon who is Haitian-American, is seeking a third term in the House after winning the seat in 2014. The district was previously held by Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson, but when the Blue Dog decided not to seek reelection in 2014, Love swept in to claim the seat. She successfully defended the seat by 12.5 points in 2016, defeating Doug Owens by more than 34,000 votes.
If Romney enters the Senate race, his candidacy could help neutralize Trump’s impact on Love’s prospects.
McAdams enters the race with the weight of Washington Democrats behind him, as the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee named him to its “Red to Blue” program, affording him the benefit of its resources, data and staff. Despite having to advance through a primary before facing Love, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer already made a campaign stop on Friday, Jan. 27 for McAdams, further demonstrating the national Democrats’ attention to Utah’s 4th Congressional district.
KEY DATES
Candidate filing deadline: March 15
Primary election: June 26
General election: Nov. 6
Republican candidate trying to outpace blue wave in Virginia’s suburbs
Rep. Barbara Comstock
Republican
Incumbent
Age: 58 (June 30, 1959)
Shak Hill
Republican
Former Virginia Senate GOP candidate, publisher at Guiding Light Books.
Age: N/A
Lindsey Davis Stover
Democrat
Former Obama administration official
Age: N/A
State Sen. Jennifer Wexton
Democrat
Age: N/A
Alison Friedman
Democrat
Former State Department official who worked on anti-human trafficking efforts
Age: N/A
Deep Sran
Democrat
Founder of Loudoun School for the Gifted
Age: N/A
David Hanson
Democrat
Retired Navy Captain, intelligence officer
Age: N/A
Dan Helmer
Democrat
Army veteran, Rhodes Scholar
Age: N/A
Key Dates
Primary Filing Deadline: March 29
Primary Election: June 12th
General Election: Nov. 6th
THE STAKES
Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call/Getty ImagesRep. Barbara Comstock, R-Va., participates in the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force news conference on the release of the 2018 legislative agenda for the 115th Congress, Jan. 10, 2018.
Rep. Barbara Comstock, R-Virginia, survived her district’s flip for Hillary Clinton in 2016. After another strong showing by Democrats in her district in 2017, when Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, carried the district and several Republican state lawmakers in her district lost their seats, she’s hoping to defy political gravity yet again and ride what analysts believe will be a strong Democratic wave against President Donald Trump and GOP control of Congress.
Comstock, who worked in the Justice Department under President George W. Bush and first won her seat in 2014, ran ahead of Trump in 2016 by criticizing the president -– and, at one point, called on him to step aside in the presidential race after the release of the ‘Access Hollywood’ tape.
She’s taken public stands against Trump in the first year of his administration -– most notably during the rollout of his administration’s first travel ban -– while voting with the president’s agenda 96.9 percent of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight.com.
A handful of Democrats are jockeying to take on Comstock in November, including former Obama administration official Lindsey Davis Stover, and State Sen. Jennifer Wexton.
Comstock’s district in Northern Virginia includes wealthy suburban enclaves outside of the nation’s capital -– the types of highly-educated, well-heeled communities through which Democrats hope they can retake the House.
In Washington state, progressive political hopefuls running in a district with a solid Republican history
THE PLAYERS
Thomas Cramer
Democrat
Ran to represent Washington’s 9th Congressional District in 2012
Age: N/A
Bill Grassie
Independent
Former Microsoft Executive
Age: 56 (Jan. 5, 1962)
Dr. Shannon Hader
Democrat
Former CDC official
Age: 49 (July 15, 1968)
Robert Hunziker
Democrat
IT consultant
Age: 36 (Aug. 16 1981)
Brian Kostenko
Democrat
Age: N/A
Brayden Olson
Democrat
Entrepreneur
Age: 30 (Dec. 11, 1987)
Jason Rittereiser
Democrat
Former King County criminal prosecutor
Age: 33 (June 6, 1984)
Dino Rossi
Republican
Former state Senator, has run twice for governor and once for U.S. Senate.
Age: 58 (Oct. 15, 1959)
Dr. Kim Schrier
Democrat
Pediatrician
Age: 49 (Aug. 23, 1968)
THE STAKES
Stephen Brashear/Getty Images, FILERepublican Senate candidate Dino Rossi speaks at Laurel Graphics Digital and Screen Printing facility, Oct. 28, 2010 in Kent, Wash.
The 8th Congressional District in Washington State has not sent a Democrat to Congress since it was formed in the 1980s.
But this year a rare vacant seat has an army of Democrats running to flip the Republican district.
This sets up a potential clash between progressive political hopefuls running in a district with a solid Republican history. The race for the seat vacated by Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Wash., will be watched alongside the 22 other Republican congressional districts that voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Reichert, who has represented the district since 2005, has earned a reputation as a moderate, often distancing himself from Trump’s rhetoric on issues such as trade and immigration. Reichert announced his retirement last September -— part of a wave of Republican lawmakers stepping down in the Trump era.
For most of the seven Democrats running for the seat, this marks their first foray into politics.
Leading the Democratic pack is Dr. Kim Schrier, a pediatrician, who has gained endorsements from national progressive women’s group EMILY’s List and several local unions, raising more than half a million dollars.
Another Democrat, Tom Cramer, has not shied away from those who consider him the district’s own Bernie Sanders.
The lone Republican candidate, Dino Rossi, is a former state senator who has run for statewide office three times unsuccessfully and is best known for being on the losing end of one of the closest statewide elections in the country’s history.
Rossi has, so far, outraised all candidates in the Democratic field combined, and gotten the endorsements of the wealthy, militantly conservative Club for Growth PAC, and of Reichert, who handedly won the seat in 2016.
The 8th Congressional District is the only Republican bastion west of Mt. Rainier — a largely white, middle class area that’s home to both the farming communities that make up the Republican base in the state, and parts of the industrial, high-tech suburbs of Seattle and Tacoma that Democrats are trying to stir.
KEY DATES
Filing deadline: May 18
Primary: Aug. 7 It’s a top-two primary — the two candidates with the most votes, regardless of party, will move on to the general election.
General Election: Nov. 6
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
