By Hastings Wyman –
The Democrats need a net gain of 25 seats to take control of the US House of Representatives. The 2nd Quarter Federal Election Commission (FEC) finance reports show the amount the candidate raised in the second three months of this year and the amount of cash-on-hand as of June 30. Given the volatility of the current political atmosphere, we have included financial information on 22 Southern congressional districts. Only two of the districts are held by Democrats to 19 by Republicans, giving the Democrats a much better chance of picking up seats. It is doubtful that all of these contests will be competitive next year, but money is being raised in all of them. Stay tuned.
Arkansas 2 (Little Rock, etc.) – French Hill (R) won reelection last year with a 21-point margin, but he is the only one of the Razorback State’s all-Republican US House delegation that the DCCC is targeting. Hill raised $317,000 in the 2nd Quarter, with $816,000 on hand by June 30. Democrat Paul Spencer raised $7,000 with $150.00 on hand.
Florida 7 (Orlando, etc.) – Freshman Stephanie Murphy (D), the first Vietnamese-American woman elected to Congress, raised $699,000 in the 2nd Quarter and had $519,000 cash on hand. She has a primary opponent on her left, Chardo Richardson, who raised $4,000 and has $3,000 on hand. State Rep. Mike Miller (R) has also filed, but with only minimal financial information.
Florida 13 (St. Petersburg, etc.) – US Rep. Charlie Crist (D) raised $1,272,000 and had $1,121,000 on hand. The GOP is likely to take another crack at Crist, but so far no Republican has filed with the FEC.
Florida 18 (Palm Beach, etc.) – Freshman Brian Mast (R) raised $1,063,000, with $797,000 on hand. Attorney Fay Keith (D) announced, but has not yet filed with the FEC.
Florida 26 (Miami-Dade, etc.) – US Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R) raised $1,155,000 and had $1,079,000 on hand. Hillary Clinton carried the district by 15 points last year so this is a major Democratic target next year. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D) has announced, but has not yet filed a financial statement.
Florida 27 (Miami, etc.) – Open; Incumbent Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R) is retiring and since Trump lost the district by 20 points, Democrats are making a major play here. Kristen Rosen Gonzalez (D) has raised $184,000, with $170,000 on hand. Republican Bruno Barriero raised $176,000, with $172,000. Others are expected to run, but have not yet filed.
Georgia 6 (Atlanta suburbs) – Freshman Karen Handel (R), who won her seat in a hotly contested and VERY expensive special election earlier this year, has $429,000 on hand.
So far, she has no opponent. Jon Ossoff (D), who ran against her, said at a recent Democratic panel that he’s “thinking about” running for office again, but he did not say what office.
Georgia 7 (Forsyth/Gwinnett counties) – US Rep. Rob Woodall (R) could face a serious Democratic challenge since Trump carried the district with only 51%. Woodall raised $128,000 and has $293,000 on hand. Democrat David Kim has raised $260,000, with $259,000 on hand.
North Carolina 5 (Winston-Salem, etc.) – US Rep. Virginia Fox (R) can take it to the bank: she raised $664,000 in the 2nd Quarter and had $2,773,000 cash-on-hand. However, she does have two Democratic opponents. Denise Darcel (DD) Adams raised $54,000 and had $34,000 on hand; Jenny Marshall raised $21,000 with $2,000 on hand.
North Carolina 7 (Wilmington, etc.) – US Rep. David Rouzer (R) raised $424,000 and has $990,000 on hand. Kyle Horton (D) raised $33,000 with $25,000 on hand.
North Carolina 9 (Rockingham, etc.) – US Rep. Robert Pittenger (R) won with 58% last year, but he’s got a well-funded foe: Democrat Dan McCready has rasied $459,000 with $412,000 on hand.
North Carolina 13 (Highpoint, etc.) – US Rep. Ted Budd (R) raised $172,000, with $83,000 on hand. Democrat Bruce Davis raised $11,000 with $8,000 on hand.
South Carolina 5 (Rock Hill, etc.) – Freshman Ralph Norman (R) won a special election this summer by 51% to 48% for retired banker Archie Parnell (D). Norman spent most of the $1,041,000 he raised on his special election campaign, and at mid-year had $152,000 on hand, with a debt of $440,000. Given Norman’s slim margin, Democrats are likely to make a play for this seat.
Tennessee 4 (Murfreesboro, etc.) – Fourth-term but oft-embattled US Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R) was reelected with 65% of the vote in 2016. In the 2nd Quarter, he raised $140,000 and had $178,000 cash-on-hand. He has two announced Democratic opponents. Steven Reynolds lost to DesJarlais last year, and has not yet filed an FEC report. Political newcomer Mariah Phillips, a school teacher, raised $55,000 and had $46,000 on hand.
Texas 7 (Houston, etc.) – John Culberson (R) raised $469,000 in the 2nd Quarter and had $361,000 on hand by June 30. He won reelection last year with 56%, though Clinton carried the district by a slim 1.4%. Republican healthcare executive David Balat, who is opposing Culberson in the primary, raised $52,000 and had $102,000 on hand. The four best funded Democrats opposing Culberson are Alex Triantaphyllis raised $451,000 and had $402,000 on hand; Lizzie Pannill Fletcher raised $366,000 and had $343,000 on hand; Laura Moser raised $235,000 with $192,000 on hand; and Jason Westin raised $152,000 with $120,000 on hand.
Texas 21 (Austin, etc.) – US Rep. Lamar Smith (R) raised $402,000, with $815,000 on hand. The top money-raisers among the list of Democrats opposing Smith are Joseph Kopser, who raised $205,000 with $136,000 on hand; Derrick Chad Crowe raised $45,000 with $25,000 on hand; Christopher Michael Perri raised $41,000 with $25,000 on hand; and Elliott James McFadden who raised $37,000 with $19,000 on hand
Texas 23 (San Antonio, etc.) – US Rep. Will Hurd (R), the only African-American Republican from the South in the US House, raised $631,000 and had $736,000 on hand. He had a narrow reelection victory last year – 48% to 47%; Clinton carried the district by 4 points. No Democrats have filed so far, but Hurd is a major Democratic target.
Texas 32 (Dallas, etc.) – Pete Sessions (R) raised $702,000 and had $903,000 on hand. He won with 61% last year, while Clinton carried his district by 2 points. He has two Democratic challengers. Businessman Ed Meier Raised $344,000 and had $298,000 cash-on-hand; Colin Allred, former NFL player and civil rights lawyer, raised $181,000 and had $149,000 on hand.
Virginia 1 (Hampton Roads, etc. ) – US Rep. Rob Wittman (R) raised $387,000 and has $1,030,000 on hand. Two Democrats have filed: Ryan Sanders raised $77,000 with $42,000 on hand and Edwin Santana raised $13,000 with $7,000 on hand.
Virginia 2 (Virginia Beach, etc.) – Freshman Scott Taylor (R) raised $503,000, with $299,000 on hand. Democrat Shaun Denise Brown raised $39,000 with $400.00 cash-on-hand.
Virginia 7 (suburban Richmond, etc.) – David Brat (R) raised $357,000 and had $384,000 on hand. Six Democratic challengers – five women and one man – will compete for the nomination next year: Eileen Bedell raised $18,000 with $11,000 and Janelle Noble raised $3,000, with $2,000 on hand. Four others have not yet reported to the Federal Election Commission: Hele Alli , Kim Gower, Abigail Spanberger, and Dan Ward.
Virginia 10 (Fairfax County, etc.) – Barbara Comstock (R) raised $858,000 and had $722,000 on hand. She carried her district 53% to 47% last year, but Clinton won it by ten points. Seven Democrats have announced so far: anti-human trafficking activist Alison Kiehl Friedman, who raised $454,000 and had $385,000 on hand; Army veteran Daniel Helmer raised $369,000, with $326,000 on hand; former Obama Administration official Lindsey Davis Stover raised $369,000, with $326,000 on hand; and state Sen. Jennifer Weston raised $202,000, with $167,000 on hand. Former candidate Julien Modica and former Fairfax teachers’ union head Kimberly Adams have announced but have not yet filed financial reports.