Democrats are targeting six more seats in districts that Trump won on average by double digits, including an effort to beat a top MAGA supporter who once gifted the president a bronze statue of himself.
It comes as Democrats have become increasingly bullish on putting resources into races that were once considered part of Trump country as the president’s approval is deep underwater across the country.
Among the districts Democrats are now throwing money at is New York’s 21st congressional district, where Democratic candidate Blake Gendebien is running against Republican Anthony Constantino.
Constantino gifted Trump a seven-foot $250,000 bronze statue last year depicting the president raising his fist in the air as he did after surviving the 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, PA. It now sits at his Trump International Golf Club.
The Trump-endorsed New York businessman, who’s a member of Mar-a-Lago, is running to fill the seat being vacated by outgoing GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik. Trump won the district by more than 21 points in 2024.
Now the district is one of six being added to the DCCC’s “Red to Blue” program, where the Democratic campaign arm sees the races as highly competitive and puts staff resources, training, and fundraising support behind.
Constantino fired back that the move was just Gendebien “scamming for donors” by having the DCCC claim the district was competitive. He also touted the betting markets showing him with the overwhelming odds of winning, but a series of recent polls have shown Democrats dramatically cutting into 2024 margins.
The new round of targeted districts also includes Arkansas’ 2nd congressional district, Colorado’s third congressional district, Florida’s 27th congressional district, Nevada’s 2nd congressional district, and Tennessee’s 9th congressional district.
The president won the six districts on average by about 16 points less than two years ago, but a series of polls have shown Trump’s margins being cut in half or more as Democrats see momentum.
“The candidates added to our Red to Blue program today are winning over voters with their message of lowering costs — from gas and groceries to health care and housing,” said DCCC Chair Rep. Suzan DelBene.
Among the seats they’re now also putting resources toward is the one held by Rep. María Elvira Salazar in Florida. The Republican congresswoman dramatically broke with Trump recently with a video outside the White House where she blasted the administration’s immigration crackdown.
She’s facing a tightening race against Democratic candidate Eliott Rodriguez in the district that includes parts of Miami as Trump’s support among Hispanic voters has plummeted.
“Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far,” she said into the camera. “The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today.”
Salazar was endorsed by Trump earlier this year. He tried to downplay her video when asked about it by a reporter, but he later went on to repost a series of critical social media comments about her.
Salazar and Rodriguez are well known in their South Florida community, having both worked as former broadcast journalists there.
Democrats now have 46 districts they’re targeting with their “Red to Blue” program as they look to retake control of the House in less than a month. They need to flip three seats to flip the majority.
The CBS News poll on Sunday was the latest in a series to show voters preferring Democrats come November. It found that 54 percent preferred a Democratic candidate while 45 percent would choose a Republican candidate.
