The campaign arm for House Democrats announced 12 districts across eight different states that it is seeking to flip from red to blue in the 2026 elections.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee launched the first batch of candidates that it is backing in its “red to blue” program for the midterm elections. The batch includes several districts that swung in favor of President Donald Trump and GOP congressional candidates in 2024 by large margins.
The DCCC is backing Jonathan Nez in Arizona‘s 2nd Congressional District, JoAnna Mendoza in Arizona’s 6th District, Christina Bohannan in Iowa‘s 1st District, Sarah Trone Garriott in Iowa’s 3rd District, Sean McCann in Michigan‘s 4th District, Jamie Ager in North Carolina‘s 11th District, Paige Cognetti in Pennsylvania‘s 8th District, Janelle Stelson in Pennsylvania’s 10th District, Chaz Molder in Tennessee‘s 5th District, Shannon Taylor in Virginia‘s 1st District, Elaine Luria in Virginia’s 2nd District, and Rebecca Cooke in Wisconsin‘s 3rd District.
DCCC Chairwoman Suzan DelBene (D-WA) said the 12 candidates are “laser-focused on lowering costs, saving healthcare, and putting people first.” The campaign arm will bolster each of the candidates with focused training, guidance, resources, and fundraising support. Many of the candidates are facing crowded Democratic primary fields.
“The candidates named to this first round of our Red to Blue program are united by their desire to fight for hardworking families in their districts — not the billionaires bankrolling Republicans’ corrupt and divisive machine,” DelBene said.
In Arizona, Nez, a former president of the Navajo Nation, is running to take on Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ). Crane, who flipped the district in 2022 following the state’s redistricting, defeated Nez in 2024 by 9 points. The district also swung for Trump in 2024 by 15 percentage points. The district is listed as likely Republican with a 7-point voter index margin in 2026 by the Cook Political Report.
Mendoza, a Marine veteran and mother, is running to challenge Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ). Ciscomani has represented the district since 2023, winning in 2022 by 1.5 points and in 2024 by 2.5 points. The district is classified as a toss-up by Cook and favored Trump by just 0.7% in 2024.
In Iowa, Bohannan, a former state representative, is running again to unseat Rep. Marianne Miller-Meeks (R-IA) in the Iowa City district. Miller-Meeks defeated Bohannan in 2024 by just 0.2 points, or 799 votes, after initially defeating her in 2022 by a wider 6.8-point margin. Cook has the two-term GOP incumbent’s district leaning Republican by 4 points on the voter index, listing it as a toss-up. The district went for Trump by 8.5 points in 2024.
Garriott, a Lutheran minister, is seeking to challenge incumbent Rep. Zach Nunn (R-IA) in a district that includes Des Moines. Nunn flipped the district in 2022 by 0.7 points, then won reelection in 2024 by 3.9 points. Trump took the district in 2024 by 4.4 points. Cook lists the district as a toss-up, favoring Republicans by 2 points on the voter index.
In Michigan, McCann is looking to take on Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI) in a district that Cook ranks as likely Republican. Huizenga, who took office in 2023, won in 2024 by 11.7 points and in 2022 by 11.9 points. In a district that went for Trump by 5.5 points, Democrats are seeing hope in the facts that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) won the district in 2022 and that McCann flipped a GOP-held state Senate seat.
In North Carolina, the DCCC is betting on Ager, a farmer, to unseat Trump-endorsed Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC). Edwards has carried the district since he won his primary against his scandal-ridden predecessor, Madison Cawthorn, in 2022. Edwards carried the general election in 2022 by 9.3 points and in 2024 by a 13.6 points. Trump took the district by 9.5 points in 2024. Cook switched the district from solidly Republican to likely Republican in September 2025.
In Pennsylvania, Democrats are hoping Cognetti, the mayor of Scranton, can unseat centrist Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-PA) in the Cook-designated Republican-leaning district. Bresnahan carried the district by 1.6 points in 2024, unseating the Democratic incumbent, as Trump carried the district by 8.5 points against then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
In the Keystone State’s 10th District, the DCCC is supporting Stelson, a reporter, in her second bid to unseat Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA). Cook has the district as a toss-up. Perry had his closest margin of victory since taking office in 2019 in his 2024 race, in which he overcame Stelson by 1.2 points. Trump carried the district by 5.2 points in 2024.
The DCCC is taking a big swing in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District, which Trump carried in 2024 by over 17 points. The DCCC is backing Molder, the mayor of Columbia, against Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) after Molder won his mayoral race in a double-digit Trump city. Ogles won by over 20 points in 2024 but has been the subject of an FBI campaign finance investigation. Cook shifted the district from solid Republican to likely Republican in January.
In Virginia, DCCC-backed Taylor, the attorney for Henrico County, is looking to unseat longtime incumbent Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA). Wittman and Trump carried the district in 2024 by 12.8 and 4.9 points, respectively. Cook has the district as leaning Republican.
The DCCC is backing Luria’s comeback bid as she looks to retake Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District from Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA). Kiggans defeated Luria in 2022 by 3.4 points after the scheduled redistricting. But as Virginia looks to redistrict again before the 2026 elections, Democrats are again eyeing the seat that went for Trump by 0.2 points in 2024.
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The DCCC is backing Cooke, a small buisness owner, in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District as she launches another bid to unseat incumbent Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI). Cooke lost by 2.7 points in 2024 in the district that went for Trump by 7.4 points. Cook rates the district as a toss-up.
National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Marinella called the DCCC’s list of targets in many Trump-heavyweight districts “pathetic” in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
“Someone needs to buy the DCCC a gift card to help pay for all the lipstick they’re putting on the pig that is their recruitment class,” Marinella said.
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“Their pathetic list of deeply radical candidates consists of recycled losers, far-left activists, and full-blown socialists who will be soundly rejected by voters across the country,” he continued.
There are 218 House Republicans and 214 Democrats, with three vacancies.