NRCC chair predicts House GOP will pick up seats in ’14

CAMBRIDGE, Md. — The head of the House GOP campaign committee predicts Republicans will add to their numbers come November. 

National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Greg Walden (Ore.) told reporters at the House GOP’s annual retreat that “on a good night in a good year — which I think this will be — we will pick up seats.”

The Oregon Republican refrained from predicting a precise number though. Republicans currently have a 17-seat advantage over Democrats after losing eight seats in 2012.

In a typical midterm years, the president’s party often loses seats. But with GOP unpopularity souring in the wake of the government shutdown, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and many strategists were hopeful they could pick up seats, and even come within distance of taking back the House. 

Since that time however, President Obama’s approval ratings have hit an all time low; and ObamaCare’s rocky implementation has caused many headaches for the Democrats who supported the measure. 

Still, House Democrats have out-raised Republicans with the help of Obama’s fundraising touch. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee just announced they raised $75 million last year and have dwarfed their House GOP counterparts on fundraising.

Walden portrayed the cash disparity as a minor problem, compared to what could be a more pressing matter for Democrats: The president’s popularity has plummeted since the rollout of his signature healthcare law. 

“I would much rather be us than them, even with their cash advantage,” Walden said, adding that the NRCC “will report our numbers tomorrow, but I will tell you that the NRCC will report numbers that show we are in the best cash position at the end of an off-year in the history of the NRCC.”

The low-key Oregon lawmaker also pointed to Thursday’s news that veteran Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman (Calif.) would not run for reelection as a “clear indication that the House Democrats don’t think they are going to be wielding the gavels” in the 114th Congress.