Could Republicans Lose the House? Five US Congressional Races to Watch | News about the 2024 US election

With just days to go before the United States general election, it may seem like the close presidential race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump is getting all the attention.

But on Election Day on November 5, there will also be crucial battles for both houses of Congress: the Senate and the House of Representatives.

However, unlike the Senate, where only a third of the seats are up for grabs, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives will be up for grabs this election cycle.

Races will be scattered in every corner of the USA. After all, the House assigns a certain number of seats to each state based on population size, and each seat has a specific district within the state to represent.

Every two years, the House faces the prospect of an upheaval, with re-elections for all its members.

And this year, the Republican Party is playing defense, hoping to protect its majority in the chamber.

Republicans currently control 220 seats compared to 212 for Democrats. At stake is the power to pass – or block – new legislation. But the House is also gifted with special abilities: Only the lower house of Congress can launch revenue bills and impeach federal officials.

Experts have identified 34 seats in Parliament as vulnerable to inverted parties in November. What are some of the tightest races to watch? Explore five of the nail-biters below.

New York’s 4th District

New York State has long been a Democratic stronghold.

But zoom into the state, and the electoral map becomes a patchwork of red and blue districts. Nowhere is this more evident than on Long Island, a political battleground that stretches into the Atlantic Ocean.

Long Island is home to some of New York’s most competitive House races, including the battle for the 4th Congressional District.

The neighborhood is minutes from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, but has a laid-back, suburban vibe. It is also notable as one of New York’s wealthiest enclaves.

Both Democrats and Republicans have won the district in recent years. For example, in the 2020 presidential race, Joe Biden won the 4th district by 15 percentage points, and his fellow Democrat, Kathleen Rice, easily defended her seat for one last term in the House.

But two years later, new elections were held for the Parliament – ​​and the seat fell into the hands of the Republicans.

Now Republican incumbent Anthony D’Esposito faces a rematch from his rival in that race, Democrat Laura Gillen.

D’Esposito is a former NYPD detective working on what he calls his common sense case. He viewed Gillen as lax on crime and immigration, but also faced criticism for offering a boyfriend a part-time job on the government payroll.

Meanwhile, Gillen said he will push for law enforcement and border security. “I will work with anyone, from any party, to secure our southern border,” she says in a campaign ad.

The rivalry between Gillen and D’Esposito goes back years: During her time as supervisor for the town of Hempstead, Gillen clashed with the town council, of which D’Esposito was a member.

North Carolina District 1:

North Carolina is the newest swing state this election cycle, with Democrats and Republicans nearly even in statewide polls. Experts speculate that Harris could be the first Democratic presidential candidate to claim the state since 2008 if the vote goes in her favor.

But a prominent North Carolina corner is also poised for an upset.

This would be the first congressional district, located in northeastern North Carolina on the Virginia border.

There, incumbent Democrat Don Davis faces a tough challenge in a contest that raises questions about race and redistricting.

The 1st Congressional District has long been considered part of the “Black Belt” of the US South, a series of districts where the number of black residents either exceeds or equals the number of white residents. About 40% of the district’s residents are black.

The last time the district elected a Republican was in 1883. Since the 1990s, its representatives have also been black. But both periods could end on November 5.

The district was one of four areas subject to a lawsuit in December 2023, when voting rights activists argued that the district’s boundaries were redrawn to reduce the power of black voters.

The new boundaries of the 1st District created some black neighborhoods and incorporated other, mostly white areas.

Ultimately, the lawsuit was dismissed. But the map could still play a role in who wins. There are currently seven Democrats and seven Republicans from North Carolina in Congress.

Davis, an Air Force alum, is in a tight race against fellow veteran, retired Army Col. Laurie Buckhout, a political newcomer. Davis, however, is known for contradicting his own party, voting with Republicans on several occasions.

California’s 27th District:

Earlier this month, Trump — the Republican presidential candidate — made a curious choice.

He traveled to California’s Coachella Valley in the crucial final weeks of the election to hold a rally. It seemed like a counterintuitive move: After all, isn’t California a blue, Democrat-owned state?

Despite its reputation as a liberal stronghold, the state could hold the key to control of the House of Representatives, and both parties are pumping millions of dollars into district-level campaigns there.

One of the hottest prizes is California’s 27th District, which is located on the northern border of Los Angeles.

During the 2020 presidential race, the 27th District was one of five areas in California that elected a Republican as representative — but also supported Democrat Joe Biden for president.

That makes him vulnerable to party switching in this year’s House race. Incumbent Republican Mike Garcia, a former fighter pilot who holds the 2020 seat, is gearing up for a fight of his political life.

He faces businessman George Whitesides, who served as NASA chief of staff under former President Barack Obama.

Washington District 3:

Rematch, here we come.

Along the mountainous coast of Washington state, right on the border with Oregon, lies the 3rd Congressional District, another issue in this year’s race for the House.

The race there reunites two rivals from the last election cycle: Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Joe Kent.

In 2022, Gluesenkamp Perez, a Democrat, defeated Republican Kent in a close race, 50.1 percent to 49.3 percent. It was one of the closest margins of victory for a House race in the country.

Now, they’re facing off again — and both sides are presenting themselves to voters as moderates.

A member of the Blue Dog centrist coalition, Gluesenkamp Perez often worked with Republicans, including on votes against student loan forgiveness and short-term government funding.

Politico described her as defying classification: calling her a “Bible-quoting, pro-Israel, pro-choice Latina.”

On her website, Gluesenkamp Perez presents her ranking as “the most bipartisan member of Congress” from Washington state.

But Kent is also trying to appeal to middle-of-the-road voters, even though he is considered far-right.

Kent is a retired CIA field agent and Green Beret, as well as a former foreign policy adviser to Trump. However, in a debate earlier this month, he pledged to work with both Democrats and Republicans.

“I am more than happy to work with anyone who is willing to secure our borders, stop fentanyl, deport illegals who have come into our country and balance the budget,” he said.

General District of Alaska:

Alaska is so sparsely populated that it gets only one representative in Parliament.

That means the entire state is one giant congressional district — the largest of any district in the US.

During the last election cycle, in 2022, candidate Mary Peltola made history. Not only did she become the first Alaskan native to be elected to the House, but she also became the first Democrat to represent Alaska’s general district since 1972.

To win the seat, she defeated two Republican challengers, one of whom was former governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

But the second of the two contestants is gunning for another showdown. Nick Begich III is running again in 2024, hoping to unseat Peltola.

Begich, the founder of a software development firm, is part of an Alaskan political dynasty. His grandfather was the late Nick Begich Sr, who was the last Democrat to hold the House at-large seat before Peltola.

However, Alaska’s unique voting system could add another contender to the race.

As of 2022, Alaska was one of two states to use a named process ranked choice voting for state elections. According to its rules, up to four candidates can contest the general election. If no one wins an outright majority in the first round, a second round is held with only the top two candidates.

This system allowed Democrat Eric Hafner to enter the race: he claimed one of the four seats after other candidates dropped out. Hafner is currently serving five years of his 20-year sentence in a New Jersey prison and has never set foot in Alaska before.

However, the state Democratic Party was unable to remove him from the ballot, even after filing a lawsuit.