Dems aim to triple number of GOP House seats in play in 2018

Democrats are looking to contest three times as many GOP-controlled House districts in 2018 as they did in the 2016 elections.

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) director Dan Sena told a meeting of party operatives this week that the party aims to triple the 45 Republican-held districts it sought to put in play last year, Politico reported Saturday.

Sena also reportedly said he’d spoken to 300 potential candidates in 75 congressional districts.

{mosads}Democrats are hoping to capitalize in 2018 on President Trump’s dwindling popularity in his first months in office. In his first 100 days in the presidency, Trump’s approval ratings have consistently hovered between 35 percent and 45 percent, according to Gallup’s daily tracking.

Dems are aiming for a further boost from the House GOP’s Thursday vote to pass an ObamaCare repeal bill. The bill is likely to face an uphill battle in the Senate.

The GOP’s bill is deeply unpopular, and approval for ObamaCare is at an all-time high as the country faces the possibility of having the law repealed.

Facing a Senate election map more favorable for Republicans, Democrats are turning their attention increasingly to House races to make electoral gains.

Swing Left, a liberal grassroots organization, said on Friday that, in the wake of the healthcare vote, it had raised more than $1 million to support Democratic candidates in GOP-held swing districts.

Other left-leaning groups have claimed similar fundraising boosts.

Dems are also pouring resources into upcoming House special elections in Georgia and Montana, where they believe they have a chance to flip longtime GOP-held seats.