The Republican Party has set its sights on winning its biggest House majority since Harry Truman was elected for his second term as president in 1949,
reports Politico.
With little more than four weeks to go before the midterm elections, the GOP is hoping to capture 11 districts on Nov. 4, expanding on their current 17-seat majority in the House.
Due to what they perceive as President Barack Obama’s unpopular foreign and domestic policies, Republicans believe that the momentum is on their side, and they are widening their targets to include a handful of seats that have long been considered Democratic turf.
With the latest round of redistricting limiting the number of potentially vulnerable seats to around 36, the GOP has singled out five congressional districts that it believes are ripe for a takeover. They are in upstate New York, in northern Maine, two in eastern Iowa and a fifth in Hawaii, according to Politico.
The National Republican Congressional Committee is forking out $1 million on TV advertising in Syracuse, N.Y., a district Democratic Rep. Dan Maffei captured in 2012 and one that Obama carried by 16 points.
Unlike campaigns in conservative regions, the NRCC is not going after the healthcare law or immigration, rather it’s drawing attention to GOP candidate John Katko’s acclaimed work as a former special prosecutor, the political news website said.
The NRCC is also splashing the cash to promote former state treasurer Bruce Poliquin in a Maine district that Obama won by 9 points in the last election and 10 points in 2008.
A recent
Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram poll has indicated that Poliquin has a substantial lead over his Democratic rival, state Sen. Emily Cain, in the open seat.
Last week House Speaker John Boehner visited Maine to raise money for Poliquin, while the House Majority PAC, a super PAC tied to Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, has reserved advertising time in Maine, as well as Syracuse.
Although Republicans are facing a stiffer task in Iowa, the GOP has been given hope by the difficulties of Democrats in the Iowa Senate and governor’s races, Politico stated.
Surprisingly, in Hawaii, a recent poll revealed that the GOP’s candidate, former Rep. Charles Djou, is in a close race against Democratic state Rep. Mark Takai.
Politico has estimated that the GOP would gain only six or seven seats if the elections were held today.
But if the party does reach its lofty goals of capturing 11 districts, it will have a grand total of 245 seats, obtaining a governing majority and the GOP’s largest delegation in 55 years.
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