House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said she believes the Democratic Party will win 17 seats in the November midterm elections to take back control of the House, but that her goal is to prevail in 25 races across the country.
In an interview with
The Washington Post, the California Democrat named at least 13 races by district or candidate that she believes her party would win, despite an almost unanimous agreement among pundits that Republicans will continue to control the chamber.
"The enthusiasm is there, and our grass roots, we have members, we have grass roots, and we have major donors. That's solid for us," she said. "I feel very certain that we will win the 17 seats we need. We have to net that though, which means we have to hold everything else."
At the same time, she acknowledged that money from political action committees and the Koch Brothers in particular could impact the party's success.
"We're playing in about 70 districts. Twenty-five is my goal – I would like that. Seventeen is our must. I think we win 17 of those seats. We won 16 in the last election, but we lost eight. As [Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Rep. Steve Israel] says, you don't add by subtracting. Nobody knows. Nobody knows," she said.
"The polling is so strange now. I just say to people, just run your race, get out your vote, go door to door, everybody you meet will vote for you, by and large. They've not met a member of Congress or a person who wants to be one. Know your district. Don't underestimate your opponent but don’t overestimate them either. The candidates just give me so much confidence. And you just fight."
The National Republican Congressional Committee responded to Pelosi's comments.
"We don't need a new slogan to know what Nancy Pelosi's agenda is — fewer jobs, runaway spending, and Obamacare. We hope Democrats run on her endorsement and platform; there is no better way to ensure Republicans pick up seats in November," NRCC spokeswoman Andrea Bozek told the Post.
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