5 key House seats Republicans are likely to flip



While the Republicans' majority is increasingly narrow, there are currently five competitive blue seats that may help the GOP hold onto the House.

The seats of Democratic Reps. Mary Peltola of Alaska, Yadira Caraveo of Colorado, Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, and Jared Golden of Maine have all been ranked as toss-ups by Cook Political Report.

Alongside these toss-up ratings, polling also suggests these seats are within Republicans' reach going into November.

In 2022, Peltola is the first Democratic candidate to have been elected to Alaska's sole congressional seat in more than half a century after the state adopted a ranked-choice voting system, which allows voters to rank their preferred candidates rather than a typical two-party primary system. As a result, Republican candidates Nick Begich and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin split the GOP vote, allowing Peltola to flip the seat blue for the first time since 1970.

Despite the ranked-choice system, Peltola is facing a challenge from just one Republican candidate, Nick Begich, after Nancy Dahlstrom dropped out to consolidate the GOP vote. Combined with Alaska's reliably red voting history, recent polls from the National Republican Congressional Committee put Peltola at an electoral disadvantage.

Peltola is also featured on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's "frontline members" list consisting of the most competitive blue seats.

Peltola's fellow frontliner, Caraveo, is also at risk of losing re-election to her Republican challenger. While one September poll puts the Colorado Democrat at a narrow three-point edge, a recent poll from early October puts her in a dead heat with Republican challenger Gabe Evans. Colorado's 8th Congressional District is also perfectly split between Republicans and Democrats, according to Cook Political Report.

Caraveo won her seat in 2022 against Republican candidate Barbara Kirkmeyer by less than 1%.

Since Slotkin opted to run for Senate, Democratic candidate Curtis Hertel and Republican challenger Tom Barrett have gone head to head for the seat. Slotkin flipped the longtime red seat blue in 2022, making the +2 Republican district a potential layup. Polling is also trending in Republicans' favor, with Barrett ahead of Hertel by four to six points.

Slotkin secured her seat in Michigan's 7th Congressional District in 2022 by 5.4%.

Perez, who is also featured on the DCCC's list of vulnerable front-liners, is set to face off against Republican candidate Joe Kent for the second time. Although Perez managed to flip the seat in 2022, she is currently polling dead even against Kent in the +5 Republican district, which may reinstate a red streak in Washington's third congressional district.

Perez, who has refrained from endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump, defeated Kent in 2022 by less than 1% after former Republican Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler retired.

Golden, who has served Maine's congressional district for three consecutive terms, is also facing a tight race against Republican candidate Austin Theriault. Despite being a +6 Republican district, Golden won his seat by a 1% margin in 2018 and just over 6% in 2020 and 2022.

Despite his historical electoral advantage, a recent poll shows Golden at a three-point deficit against Theriault.

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Dem Rep Says Trump's Going to Win—And That's Ok

Democratic Rep. Jared Golden (Maine) predicts Donald Trump will win in November, writing in an op-ed Tuesday that he’s “OK with that.”

The post Dem Rep Says Trump's Going to Win—And That's Ok appeared first on .

Democratic Rep. Jared Golden says he expects Trump to win the 2024 election



Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine expects former President Donald Trump to win the 2024 presidential contest and says he is "OK with that" outcome but does not plan to vote for the Republican figure.

While Biden's debate performance has been widely panned, Golden — who has been serving in Congress since 2019 — suggested that the president's poor performance was not surprising.

'I reject the premise.'

"After the first presidential debate, lots of Democrats are panicking about whether President Joe Biden should step down as the party's nominee. Biden's poor performance in the debate was not a surprise. It also didn't rattle me as it has others, because the outcome of this election has been clear to me for months: While I don't plan to vote for him, Donald Trump is going to win. And I'm OK with that," Golden wrote in an opinion piece.

"There are winners and losers in every election. Democrats' post-debate hand-wringing is based on the idea that a Trump victory is not just a political loss, but a unique threat to our democracy. I reject the premise. Unlike Biden and many others, I refuse to participate in a campaign to scare voters with the idea that Trump will end our democratic system," he noted. "This election is about the economy, not democracy. And when it comes to our economy, our Congress matters far more than who occupies the White House."

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who served in Congress as a Republican, endorsed Biden for re-election, saying that he was making the move "because of my unwavering support for democracy."

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Dem Lawmaker Says Trump Will Win In November And ‘Democracy Will Be Just Fine’

'Donald Trump is going to win'

Without A Unanimous SCOTUS Smackdown, Barring Opponents From Ballots Will Be The Norm

Maine's secretary of state unilaterally determined that the entire population of the state should be prevented from casting a ballot for former President Donald Trump in their upcoming primary.

Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine says voters should get to decide about Trump: 'This is the ultimate check within our Constitutional system'



In response to Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows' move to block former President Donald Trump from the primary ballot, Sen. Angus King of Maine, an independent who is listed as a member of the Senate Democratic caucus, issued a statement in which he suggested that voters should get to decide the fate Trump's presidential candidacy.

"Under the established Constitutional process, the Senate was called upon to determine this precise question in Donald Trump's impeachment trial in January, 2021. While I voted with a bipartisan majority to convict, the required two-thirds of the Senate did not do so," King said in the statement.

While the House voted to impeach then-President Trump in the wake of the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot, the Senate vote — which occurred in February after Trump had already departed from office — fell short of the threshold necessary for conviction.

"Although I respect the Secretary of State's careful process — which she was specifically required to undertake under Maine law — absent a final judicial determination of a violation of the 14th Amendment's disqualification clause, I believe the decision as to whether or not Mr. Trump should again be considered for the presidency should rest with the people as expressed in free and fair elections. This is the ultimate check within our Constitutional system," King concluded.

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In her decision, Bellows stated that evidence demonstrated "the falsity of Mr. Trump's declaration that he meets the qualifications of the office of the presidency," and she declared that "as required ... I find that the primary petition of Mr. Trump is invalid."

But her ruling may never actually take effect, because she stipulated, "I will suspend the effect of my decision until the Superior Court rules on any appeal, or the time to appeal under 21-A, Section 337 has expired."

"We will quickly file a legal objection in state court to prevent this atrocious decision in Maine from taking effect," Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a Thursday statement.

Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine said in a statement that unless Trump is determined to be guilty of insurrection, he should be permitted to be appear on the ballot.

"I voted to impeach Donald Trump for his role in the January 6th insurrection," Golden said in the statement. "I do not believe he should be re-elected as President of the United States. However, we are a nation of laws, therefore until he is actually found guilty of the crime of insurrection, he should be allowed on the ballot."

Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who was one of the seven GOP senators who voted to convict Trump after the House voted to impeach him in 2021, does not think that Bellows' decision should stand.

"Maine voters should decide who wins the election – not a Secretary of State chosen by the Legislature. The Secretary of State's decision would deny thousands of Mainers the opportunity to vote for the candidate of their choice, and it should be overturned," a post on the @SenatorCollins X account reads. The social media account indicates that "All tweets originate from the Press Office of Senator Susan Collins."

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Maine Democrat says Trump should be permitted on primary ballot 'until he is actually found guilty ... of insurrection'



In response to the Maine secretary of state's move to block former President Donald Trump from the primary ballot, Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine said in a statement that Trump should be permitted on the ballot until he is determined to be guilty of insurrection.

"I voted to impeach Donald Trump for his role in the January 6th insurrection," Golden said in the statement. "I do not believe he should be re-elected as President of the United States. However, we are a nation of laws, therefore until he is actually found guilty of the crime of insurrection, he should be allowed on the ballot."

— (@)

In her decision, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows declared that evidence showed "the falsity of Mr. Trump's declaration that he meets the qualifications of the office of the presidency," and she found "that the primary petition of Mr. Trump is invalid." However, she suspended the impact of her ruling "until the Superior Court rules on any appeal, or the time to appeal ... has expired."

Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement, "We will quickly file a legal objection in state court to prevent this atrocious decision in Maine from taking effect, and President Trump will never stop fighting to Make America Great Again."

GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine apparently does not believe the decision should stand.

"Maine voters should decide who wins the election – not a Secretary of State chosen by the Legislature. The Secretary of State's decision would deny thousands of Mainers the opportunity to vote for the candidate of their choice, and it should be overturned," a tweet on the @SenatorCollins X account declares. The account description notes that "all tweets originate from the Press Office of Senator Susan Collins."

"Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows ignores the fact that, for purposes of Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment, Trump was not 'an officer of the United States.' Thus, even if Trump had engaged in insurrection (to be sure, he has not), he still couldn’t be excluded," GOP Sen. Mike Lee of Utah tweeted.

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