Our most recent book is titled Divided We Stand: The 2020 Elections and American Politics. Among other things, it discusses state and congressional elections.
California has 52 House seats — more than any other state — and 10 are considered in play. About half of those are viewed as toss-ups. Democrats dominate California, holding every statewide office and outnumbering registered Republicans by a nearly 2-to-1 margin statewide. But Republicans retain pockets of strength and picked up four House seats in 2020.
The most competitive contests are concentrated in Republican-held districts that were carried by Joe Biden in 2020. Overall, Republicans hold just 12 of the state’s House seats.Tony Aiello at CBS:
A high-stakes battle over the November ballot is playing out in New York City's northern suburbs, and a judge's decision could help decide which party controls Congress next year. It involves the Working Families Party line in the 17th Congressional District. Candidates in New York often run on multiple party lines. Democrat Mondaire Jones competed in the Working Families Party primary in June, and shockingly, he lost. Now, his supporters are asking a judge to kick the winner – an unknown named Anthony Frascone – off the ballot.
Frascone is not campaigning and isn't attending the court hearings. "They're running a shill campaign ... to influence the outcome by diluting the vote," said attorney Keith Corbett. "They're engaged in a subversion of taking away the rights of voters." Corbett says Frascone, a former Republican, is running to siphon votes away from Jones, who is locked in a tight race with Republican Mike Lawler to represent the 17th Congressional District, which includes all of Rockland and Putnam counties and parts of Westchester and Dutchess.
...
This week, Emerson College released a poll showing Mike Lawler with 45%, Mondaire Jones with 44%, and Anthony Frascone with 3% – obviously enough to influence the outcome. Lawyers for several counties say Frascone's primary victory was duly certified and it's too late to change the ballot since thousands have already been mailed.
Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), the House Democrats’ campaign chief, is defending vulnerable lawmakers who have kept their distance from Vice President Harris while campaigning.
Speaking to The Hill during an interview in New York City on Wednesday, DelBene — the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) — said members in battleground districts should run their races in ways that cater to their voters, even if it breaks from the “national landscape.”
“In swing districts, and when we talk about, kind of our world, the battleground races, are these districts that were drawn to be divided. They’re purple. And so I think all of them are focused on what their communities want to see, which is who’s going to be an authentic leader for our district; who’s gonna be our voice in Congress,” DelBene said.
“And the reason that they are all elected right now is because they have been independent, authentic voices for their districts, and they’re gonna continue to do that,” she continued. “But it’s about making sure people understand where they stand, what their issues are. There’s the national landscape but they’re representing their districts, their voices for their districts.”
The comments were in response to a question about a handful of House Democrats who have not formally endorsed Harris in her bid for the White House, including Reps. Jared Golden (Maine), Mary Peltola (Alaska) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.) — all of whom represent districts former President Trump won in 2020.
