‘We are bullish’: House GOP takes aim at these 26 Dem seats in midterms

The House GOP campaign committee is taking aim at more than two dozen Democrats in the chamber as it aims to expand its very fragile majority in next year’s midterm elections.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) on Monday released its initial target list for the 2026 midterms, which included 26 Democrats from coast to coast.

Republicans currently control the House, when the chamber is at full strength, with a 220-215 majority. 

While the party in power, which clearly is the Republicans, traditionally faces serious political headwinds in the midterm elections, the NRCC chair is optimistic.

FIRST ON FOX: HOUSE REPUBLICANS TAKE AIM AT DEMOCRATS OVER THIS KEY VOTE

Rep. Richard Hudson, chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, speaks at the Republican National Convention, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 18, 2024. (Reuters/Mike Segar)

Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., emphasized in an interview on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends” that 13 of the 26 House Democrats they are targeting are in districts that “were carried by President Donald Trump in the last election.”

Hudson characterized the upcoming midterms as an “opportunity election for House Republicans.”

And Hudson, who is steering the House GOP’s campaign arm for a second straight cycle, added, “We are bullish. Republicans are on offense thanks to Donald Trump.”

HOUSE GOP CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE CHAIR MAKES PREDICTION ABOUT 2026 MIDTERM ELECTIONS

The Democrats on the NRCC’s target list include Reps. Josh Harder (9th District), Adam Gray (13th), George Whitesides (27th), Derek Tran (45th), and Dave Min (47th) of California; Darren Soto (9th) and Jared Moskowitz (23rd) of Florida; Frank Mrvan (1st) of Indiana, Jared Golden (2nd) of Maine; Kristen McDonald Rivet (8th) of Michigan; Don Davis (1st) of North Carolina; Chris Pappas (1st) of New Hampshire; Nellie Pou (9th) of New Jersey; and Gabe Vasquez (2nd) of New Mexico.

The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2025. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Also on the list are Dina Titus (1st), Susie Lee (3rd) and Steven Horsford (4th) of Nevada; Tom Suozzi (3rd), Laura Gillen (4th) and Josh Riley (9th) of New York; Marcy Kaptur (9th) and Emilia Sykes (13th) of Ohio; Henry Cuellar (28th) and Vicente Gonzalez (34th) of Texas; Eugene Vindman (7th) of Virginia; and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (3rd) of New Mexico.

The rival Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) recently released a list of what it considers its most vulnerable incumbents – known as Frontliners. 

Reps. Jahana Hayes of Connecticut, John Mannion of New York and Janelle Bynum of Oregon all made the DCCC list, but were not included on the NRCC list.

Rep. Richard Hudson is interviewed by Fox News Digital, on Dec. 11, 2024, in Washington D.C. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Meanwhile, Moskowitz, Pappas and Soto weren’t listed as Frontliners, but were included on the NRCC list. 

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The DCCC, responding, pointed to their performance in last November’s elections when the Democrats took a small bite out of the GOP’s House majority.

“House Democrats overperformed across the country in 2024, powered by our battle-tested candidates who won despite the NRCC’s false bravado and these Frontliners will win again in the midterms,” DCCC spokesperson Viet Shelton told Fox News Digital. “The truth is House Republicans are running scared and refusing to hold town halls because they don’t want to get yelled at for their failure to lower prices, bungling the economy, and cutting Medicaid in order to pay for tax breaks for billionaires like Elon Musk.”