The Hill has acquired a list of the GOP’s last gasp strategy to keep the House.
With Democratic momentum mounting and control of the House at stake, senior Republican strategists are urging donors to contribute to 33 GOP members and candidates who are “most in need of support right now.”
The National Republican Congressional Committee’s (NRCC) “Final Push List” consists of 29 Republican seats and only four Democratic seats, indicating that the GOP is playing defense.
The list, obtained by The Hill, provides a rare glimpse of the races that congressional strategists are concentrating on close to Election Day.
Here’s what is of particular interest to me.
Republican incumbents who did not make the Final Push cut include Reps. Chris Chocola (Ind.), Michael Fitzpatrick (Pa.), John Hostettler (Ind.), Nancy Johnson (Conn.), Jon Porter (Nev.), Clay Shaw (Fla.), Christopher Shays (Conn.), and Charles Taylor (N.C.).
These Republicans are in highly competitive races, but several have major fundraising advantages over their opponents and are not in dire need of NRCC assistance.
But Fitzpatrick, Hostettler, and Taylor have less cash on hand than their Democratic opponents.
Based on recent polling I can understand why the GOP has given up on Charles Taylor (NC-11) and John Hostettler (IN-08). I can also understand why the Philly Daily News would report that Patrick Murphy is down nine points when its poll includes an independent that is not even in the race or on the ballot. (The Philly papers were recently bought up by a real right-wing zealot). But can it possible be that the GOP has given up on PA-08?
The conventional wisdom has been that the Democrats were most likely to win Curt Weldon’s (PA-07) and Jim Gerlach’s (PA-06) seats. But the GOP includes those races in their last ditch efforts. They also include Don Sherwood (PA-10). But they have dropped PA-08. Maybe their internal polling shows Fitzpatrick is safe? Maybe it shows the opposite? I know the Dems think they are up four percent.
The full list of candidates is below the fold.
AZ-05, Hayworth
CO-04, Musgrave
CO-05, Lamborn
CT-02, Simmons
FL-16, Negron
GA-08, Collins
GA-12, Burns
IA-01, Whalen
IA-03, Lamberti
ID-01, Sali
IL-06, Roskam
IL-08, McSweeney
IN-09, Sodrel
KY-04, Davis
MI-07, Walberg
MN-06, Bachmann
NH-02, Bass
NM-01, Wilson
NY-20, Sweeney
NY-24, Meier
NY-25, Walsh
NY-29, Kuhl
OH-01, Chabot
OH-02, Schmidt
OH-15, Pryce
OH-18, Padgett
PA-06, Gerlach
PA-07, Weldon
PA-10, Sherwood
VA-02, Drake
WA-05, McMorris
WA-08, Reichert
WI-08, Gard
