The Democratic Party’s campaign machine is doubling down on House races it considers winnable, adding six new seats to its “Red to Blue program.” The move comes as Democrats try to project confidence less than a month out from the midterm elections.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, or DCCC, announced the additions. The “Red to Blue program” now covers 46 seats, with the six new additions joining candidates who already received support from the committee.
The Six New Red to Blue Targets
The six new candidates added to the “Red to Blue program” are:
- Chris Jones, running for Arizona’s 2nd district
- Dwayne Romero, running for Colorado’s 3rd district
- Eliott Rodriguez, running for Florida’s 27th district
- Teresa Benitez-Thompson, running for Nevada’s 2nd district
- Blake Gendebien, running for New York’s 21st district
- Justin Pearson, running for Tennessee’s 9th district
Each of these candidates receives fundraising support, strategy guidance, training, and additional staff resources through the program.
DelBene’s Message on Lowering Costs
DCCC Chair Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) said in a statement that the new candidates are winning voters on lowering costs, from gas and groceries to health care and housing.
“The candidates added to our Red to Blue program today are winning over voters with their message of lowering costs — from gas and groceries to health care and housing,” DelBene said.
She added that at a time when families are struggling to pay the bills, Americans deserve representatives who will actually fight to make their lives better.
“Americans deserve representatives who will actually fight to make their lives better.”
The NRCC Pushes Back
The National Republican Congressional Committee, or NRCC, responded with a dismissive statement from spokesman Mike Marinella. He argued that Democrats can label any district they want as a battleground, but that does not change the political reality.
“Democrats can slap a ‘battleground’ label on any district they want, but wishful thinking doesn’t change the fundamentals of the House map,” Marinella said.
He also criticized Democrats for chasing “imaginary fairytales” while getting dragged left by their socialist nominees, noting that House Republicans are outraising, outspending, and outworking Democrats where the majority will actually be won.
Fundraising Comparison
The NRCC holds a significant cash advantage over the DCCC when it comes to campaign funding. According to the latest Federal Election Commission filings, the NRCC has $89 million in its war chest, compared to the DCCC’s $76 million cash on hand.
The gap widens when looking at overall spending capacity. The NRCC has $125 million in its coffers, while the Democratic National Committee has $16.9 million cash on hand and $17.6 million in debt, per the latest FEC disclosures.
Generic Ballot Edge
Despite the fundraising gap, Democrats hold an 8.5 percentage-point edge over the GOP in the generic congressional ballot, according to the latest RealClearPolitics aggregate of polls.
What the Moves Mean
The DCCC’s expansion of both lists signals a strategic shift. The “Red to Blue program” focuses on candidates the committee believes can flip Republican-held seats, while the “Districts in Play” list targets seats rated “solid” or “likely” Republican by the Cook Political Report. The two lists operate separately.
The six new additions bring fresh faces to the program.
The Fundraising Reality
The NRCC’s numbers paint a stark picture of the fundraising landscape. Republicans have not only raised more money but also spent more, according to Marinella’s characterization. That spending difference could matter as the midterms approach.
The NRCC’s war chest of $89 million and its overall coffers of $125 million give Republicans a cushion that Democrats lack.
| Fundraising Measure | NRCC | DCCC |
|---|---|---|
| War chest (FEC filings) | $89 million | $76 million |
| Overall coffers | $125 million | — |
| Cash on hand (FEC disclosures) | — | — |
| Debt (FEC disclosures) | — | — |
The Road Ahead
The midterm elections will test whether the DCCC’s expanded targeting pays off. The six new “Red to Blue” candidates join a program that has already supported dozens of challengers, and the eight new “Districts in Play” additions give Democrats a broader map to work from.
Republicans are betting that their fundraising advantage will translate into stronger ground games and better messaging. Democrats are betting that their candidates’ messages on lowering costs will resonate with voters who are worried about the economy.
Both sides will have their data by November.
Whether the DCCC’s belief that it can flip seats is justified will be answered at the polls.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs the candidates in these six districts running on their own merits and is against treating the midterms as a horse race between two machines gathering power. Each of the six newcomers — Jones, Romero, Rodriguez, Benitez-Thompson, Gendebien, and Pearson — deserves judgment on their own record, not on which party’s program they happen to carry.
The “Red to Blue program” is a DCCC operation, not a movement of the people. It gathers power in one place and sets the terms for every seat it touches. The paper’s north star is individual freedom, small business, and avoiding concentrations of power, and a single committee deciding which races get resources runs contrary to that.
The fundraising gap is real: the NRCC holds $89 million in its war chest, the DCCC $76 million. Yet Democrats hold an 8.5 percentage-point edge in the generic ballot. The coming weeks will show whether the DCCC’s expanded targeting pays off or whether the NRCC’s spending advantage tells a different story.
Source material: “Dems expand effort to flip House seats held by GOP with six more targets,” the New York Post.
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