House GOP reelection arm expands 2022 Democratic targets in wake of Youngkin Virginia victory

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The House of Representatives Republican reelection committee is expanding its list of House Democrats it considers vulnerable in the 2022 midterm elections, when the GOP aims to win back the majority in the chamber.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) on Wednesday expanded its 57-member offensive target list, adding 13 Democratic representatives, bringing the total to an ambitious 70 House Democrats it will target ahead of next year's midterms.

YOUNGKIN BECOMES FIRST REPUBLICAN TO WIN VIRGINIA GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION IN A DOZEN YEARS

The move by the NRCC comes hours after Virginia Republican gubernatorial nominee Glenn Youngkin narrowly defeated former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe in a state that now-President Biden carried by 10 points in last year’s election and where GOP candidates hadn’t won statewide in a dozen years. Virginia’s race is considered a bellwether ahead of next year’s elections, when Republicans need a net gain of just five seats in the 435-seat chamber to retake the House majority they lost in the 2018 midterms.

FILE - Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., arrives for the House Financial Services Committee hearing on Oct. 4, 2017. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call) (CQ Roll Call)

The NRCC says their move also comes after "numerous public polls show the generic congressional ballot improving for Republicans." The generic ballot, which asks whether a voter would support a generic Democrat or Republican candidate in their congressional district, is a closely watched question in the battle for control of the House.

"In a cycle like this, no Democrat is safe," NRCC Chairman Rep. Tom Tom Emmer emphasized. 

And he argued that "voters are rejecting Democrat policies that have caused massive price increases, opened our borders, and spurred a nationwide crime wave." 

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The 13 House Democrats added to the NRCC’s list are Reps. Greg Stanton of Arizona (AZ-09), Ed Perlmutter of Colorado (CO-07), Joe Courtney of Colorado (CT-02), Darren Soto of Florida (FL-09), Sanford Bishop of Georgia (GA-02), Frank Mrvan of Indiana (IN-01), David Trone of Maryland (MD-06), G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina (NC-01), Annie Kuster of New Hampshire (NH-02), Teresa Leger-Fernandez of New Mexico (NM-03), Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania (PA-04), Jim Cooper of Tennessee (TN-05), and Jennifer Wexton of Virginia (VA-10).

The rival Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee quickly fired back on Wednesday morning.

"The NRCC is mistaken if they think they can easily emulate a campaign that skipped a messy GOP primary, had no political record to defend, and routinely kept President Trump at arm’s length," DCCC spokesperson Chris Taylor told Fox News, as he pointed to Youngkin's path to victory.

Taylor emphasized that "we have a year until the midterm elections, and on top of passing historic legislation that includes game-changing investments in our infrastructure and working families, Democrats are working to ensure battleground voters understand the grave danger that House Republicans and their extremism present to not only our families, but our democracy."