U.S. House battlegrounds, 2014

From Ballotpedia

Contents

Portal:Legislative Branch

BySarah Rosier and theCongress team

Voters remembered thegovernment shutdown, the trouble surrounding theHealthcare.gov website and other issues as they headed to the polls during2014’s midterm election cycle. From the beginning, tight races were shaping up. Some were truly competitive; others were incorrectly labeled as such. Why? “Battleground Districts” is a title that helps media pull in viewers and readers. It also boosts candidates’ fundraising efforts.

Every campaign cycle, Ballotpedia sifts through the noise and helps readers filter the hype. Leading up to election day, our list of Battleground Districts was based on real numbers and trends. And one trend in particular stood out:Incumbency is king and gerrymandering has left only a few handfuls of districts truly competitive.

In the first edition of Ballotpedia's battleground study, we sought to provides an unfiltered look at the races with the lowest likely margins of victory, as well as those moneymaking districts that raised lots of cash because they were mislabeled Battleground Districts.

SeeThe 26 "Most Competitive Districts in 2014"
The purple districts on the Census district map were those found to be competitive in Ballotpedia's study.

Key terms

Margin of victory (MOV)Moneymaker districts
Margin of victory (MOV) is the measure of the winner's percentage of the vote won in an election (in this case, a House race) minus the runner-up candidate’s percentage of the vote.A district that is labeled as competitive prior to the election, but post-election analysis showed they were not competitive (MOV of 10 percentage points and higher). These districts, often because of the competitive label, raise more money for the campaigns than other districts.

Existing coverage

BallotpediaExclusives.png

In 2012, $3,664,141,430 was spent on congressional races, close to $1 billion more than on the presidential race. The average amount the winner of aHouse of Representatives election spent was $1,567,293. The average loser in a general election spent $688,632.This means that the average House race in 2012 cost general election candidates $2,128,629. However, these numbers skyrocket when a campaign is labeledcompetitive.[1]

The Cook Political Report, edited and published by Charlie Cook, is one of the most respected race rankings, and one we use as a data point for Ballotpedia.Cook classified 85 districts as competitive, or as having the possibility to become competitive, in their last projections before the election. Despite the high number of races that fell under these labels, only 30 races had a margin of victory (MOV) of less than five percent in 2012.[2]

AlthoughCook is used here as a barometer for outside battleground ratings, we could have easily applied this example to Sabato's Crystal Ball, FairVote Monopoly Politics or the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, as seen in the final section of this report where wecompare 2014 coverage.

Considering the amount of money spent and focus given to House elections, Ballotpedia desires to provide readers with an aggregation of third party rankings, previous election data and other relevant factors that will provide a more targeted and specific set of districts to watch for during the lead up to the 2014 election.

Below, a comparison is made to both the most expensive House races, the resulting MOV and also the finalCook projection compared to the MOVs.

Political spending versus results

Sarah Rosier interview with Grassroots TV about congressional competitiveness, published in May 2014.

Below are the most expensive House general elections in 2012, according to anOpenSecrets.org study:[3]

Most expensive races vs. margin of victory
RaceAmount raisedAmount spent2012 MOV
Florida's 18th Congressional District$24,111,384$22,951,6440.6%
Ohio's 8th Congressional District**$22,024,288$21,197,80198.4%
Minnesota's 6th Congressional District$17,305,918$14,225,6150.8%
California's 33rd Congressional District$9,879,844$10,645,3948%
Virginia's 7th Congressional District**$8,448,263$8,278,56417%
California's 30th Congressional District$7,886,785$11,944,79420.6%
Colorado's 7th Congressional District$7,814,798$7,820,46513.5%
Illinois' 10th Congressional District$7,612,934$7,572,6541.2%
Illinois' 8th Congressional District$7,320,575$7,203,7069.4%
Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District**$7,260,389$8,901,32211.5%

**Two of these races were re-election bids by House Republican leadership,John Boehner andEric Cantor, and one was former vice presidential candidatePaul Ryan's campaign for re-election.


This means that only three of the most expensive House races in 2012 were decided by a MOV of five percent or less.

Projections versus results

On November 5, 2012, the day before the 2012 general election,Cook released their final list of 85 competitive districts. The competitive districts were sorted by six categories: "Likely," "Lean" and "Toss Up" predictions for both Democratic and Republican gains.[4]

Of these competitive districts, 56 had an MOV of five percentage points or above. Of those 56, 29 districts would not have made a competitive MOV cut for Ballotpedia's study, with the winner having led the closest competitor by 10 or more percentage points in 2012. This means 34% ofCook's competitive districts were not actually competitive.

2012 moneymaker districts

What is a "moneymaker district?"

As previously stated, the average House general election cost candidates$2,128,629 in 2012.

What happens when a district that truly is not competitive is classified by the media as competitive?

The cost skyrockets. As outlined below, the 29 least competitive races inCook's competitive ratings cost$101,370,857, which is a total of$39,640,616 more than 29 districts spending the average 2012 election price ($2,128,629) would have cost. In other words, each moneymaker race cost an average of$3,495,546, which is$1,366,917 more than the average 2012 race.

Why?

Media attention. When pundits, political organizations or analysts classify a district as competitive, other outlets begin adding that to the coverage of the race.

An example of this was seen inMaryland's 6th District.

The 6th District was heavily redistricted making a win forRep. Roscoe Bartlett almost statistically impossible. The redistricting process changed the registered partisan breakdown by 59.69%. It left a 29.44% advantage for Democrats in party registration over Republicans.

Despite this, theNational Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), theDemocratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC),Cook and others still considered the election between Bartlett andRep. John Delaney to be competitive as of April 2012. After April 2012, the district was still highlighted under their "Competitive Races" headline, but as a "Likely D" race. This attention led to an expensive campaign. Between Barlett and Delaney, the 6th District candidates spent$5,786,640. This was$3,658,011 more than an average 2012 House campaign.

In the end, Delaney won by an extremely comfortable, and non-competitive, MOV of 20.9 percentage points.

The true cost of moneymakers

  • Moneymaker districts: The 29 districts listed in this chart were considered competitive byCook, but post-election analysis showed they were not competitive (MOV of 10 percentage points and higher).
Cost differential between the moneymaker districts and the average cost of a 2012 House campaign
DistrictsParty prior to elec.Cook PVIMOVCost of 2012 electionDifference from avg. cost
CA-47Democratic PartyD+5D+13.2$2,589,871+$461,242
FL-09Republican PartyD+4D+25$4,782,973+$2,654,344
IA-01Democratic PartyD+5D+15.3$3,738,165+$1,609,536
IA-02Democratic PartyD+4D+13.1$2,512,269+$383,640
MD-06Republican PartyD+2D+20.9$5,786,640+$3,658,011
NY-25Republican PartyD+5D+14.4$3,917,121+$1,788,492
CA-24Republican PartyD+3D+10.2$5,191,080+$3,062,451
CA-41Republican PartyD+3D+18$2,788,415+$659,786
CO-07Democratic PartyD+3D+12.7$7,820,466+$5,691,837
FL-26New districtR+4D+10.6$1,778,880-$349,749
CA-09Democratic PartyD+2D+11.2$5,691,934+$3,563,305
RI-01Democratic PartyD+14D+12.2$3,893,267+$1,764,638
IL-11Republican PartyD+5D+17.2$6,767,995+$4,639,366
TN-04Republican PartyR+13R+11.6$1,967,129-$161,500
CO-03Republican PartyR+4R+12$4,178,209+$2,049,580
IN-08Republican PartyR+8R+10.3$2,368,687+$240,058
PA-08Republican PartyD+1R+13.2$4,029,335+$1,900,706
WI-07Republican PartyEVENR+12.3$3,881,665+$1,753,036
AR-04Democratic PartyR+9R+22.8$2,192,907+$64,278
CA-21Republican PartyR+3R+15.6$1,280,867-$847,762
MT-ALRepublican PartyR+7R+10.6$3,012,612+$883,983
NC-11Democratic PartyR+12R+14.8$1,818,838-$309,791
NC-13Democratic PartyR+9R+13.6$1,691,856-$436,773
ND-ALRepublican PartyR+10R+13.2$2,310,930+$182,301
OH-07Republican PartyR+5R+12.8$2,253,069+$124,440
OK-02Democratic PartyR+14R+19$2,882,044+$753,415
PA-06Republican PartyR+1R+14.2$3,439,974+$1,311,345
SD-ALRepublican PartyR+9R+14.8$3,667,781+$1,539,152
WI-08Republican PartyR+2R+11.9$3,135,878+$1,007,249
Total cost$101,370,857
Total difference between money maker district costs and 2012 average district cost$39,640,616

$39,640,616 better spent

Although many will argue that political spending in general is unnecessary, even just factoring in the excess cost of moneymaker districts is staggering. As shown above, the difference in cost between moneymaker districts and the average cost of a House elections in 2012 tops $39 million. Here's what $39 million could have bought!

*3,223 families of four could have been fed for a year.[5]
Glass of milk on tablecloth.jpg
*1,554 wells in Africa could have been built to service schools and medical clinics.[6]
Flickr - usaid.africa - Water pump provided by USAID (7).jpg

*A Boys & Girls Club in Whatcom County, WA, could have been funded for full-time operation for 66 years.[7]
Boysgirlsclub.jpg


*Educational costs for 1,350DC Public Schools students would have been covered for a year.
Testtakingstudent.jpg


*Five of Robert Pattinson's Los Angeles homes could have been purchased, with enough left over to buy 43,600 copies ofTwilight on DVD.[8]
Robert Pattinson May 2011.jpg

*Kayne West could have purchased 31 rings similar to Kim Kardashian's new bling.[9]
Diamond (PSF).png

Ballotpedia's five criteria for “most competitive”

A district must have met one or more of the following criteria:

1. If a district had all six quantifiable predictions/results highlighted (Cook, Fairvote, MOV, 2012 presidential, 2008 presidential, and incumbent years in office) and four were of the most competitive nature, purple, they automatically made the cut.

Nineteen districts fit in this category.

2. The district was considered competitive if it had all six quantifiable predictions/results highlighted (Cook, Fairvote, MOV, 2012 presidential, 2008 presidential and incumbent years in office) with three of the highlighted factors being most competitive (purple) and two being intermediate competitive (orange). The district must also have had a “special factor” (high outside spending, redistricting) to be added to the most competitive list.

Two districts fit into this category.

3.Anomalies: This included Republicans or Democrats in a district that otherwise trended heavily toward the other party. The district must also have had some other qualifying factor, such as an MOV of ten percent or less, an incumbent who had served less than ten years or a competitive 2014 candidate. BothUtah's 4th Congressional District andNorth Carolina's 7th Congressional District were examples of this before Reps.Jim Matheson andMike McIntyre announced their retirements.

One district fits into this category.

4.Presidential differences: A district that may not have had all the categories highlighted, but voted for the other party in the most recent presidential election and the numbers were tight for the incumbent (redistricting was also factored in here).

One district was considered “Most Competitive” based only on this factor.

5.Recent effects of redistricting: This was relevant to three districts (IL-12, IL-13 and MN-08). Redistricting in the past three years caused these districts to be extremely tight and had the opportunity for a very close midterm election (the first midterm cycle these new districts will be going through).

Three districts were pushed into the most competitive list because of this, just missing meeting the other criteria listed above.


The 26 "Most Competitive Districts in 2014"

Color Key
ColorCook Partisan Voting IndexFairvote (Projected D%)Margin of Victory (MOV)2012 Presidential MOV % %2008 Presidential MOV %Incumbent years in office
Purple- most competitiveEven; R or D 0-445.1% - 54.9%0-4.90-4.90-4.90 - 4
Orange- very competitiveR or D 5-742.1% - 45.0%; 55% - 57.9%5.0-7.95.0-7.95.0-7.95 - 7
Green- competitiveR or D 8-1040.0% - 42.0%; 58% - 60%8.0-10.008.0-10.008.0-10.008 - 10
House winners labeled this color indicate the party of the House winner being different from the party of the presidential winner of the district in 2012
Districts labeled this color indicate the districts that were pushed into most competitive based on heavily redrawn congressional districts
Most competitive districts for 2014 elections
Congressional districtBattleground labelCook PVIFairvote (Projected D%)Margin of Victory (MOV) in 20122012 Presidential MOV %2008 Presidential MOV %Incumbent years in office2012 House winnerCampaign contributions differenceCost per vote for winner in 2012
Arizona's 1stBattleground DR+448%3.6-2.5-3.20Democratic61.38%$19.13
Arizona's 2ndBattleground DR+350.9%0.8-1.5-0.90Democratic65.57%$18.85
Arizona's 9thBattleground DR+151%4.1✓4.5✓3.90Democratic64.44%$17.78
California's 7thBattleground DEVEN51.4%3.4✓4✓50Democratic57.34%$25.72
California's 21stBattleground RD+250.9%15.5✓11.1✓60Republican91.39%$19.59
California's 36thBattleground DR+151.2%5.9✓3.2✓30Democratic46.67%$17.94
California's 52ndBattleground DD+252.3%2.4✓6.4✓120Democratic62.23%$28.93
Colorado's 6thBattleground RD+145.1%2✓5.1✓8.74Republican66.81%$20.99
Florida's 18thBattleground DR+347.7%0.6-4.1✓3.10Democratic19.70%$28.58
Florida's 26thBattleground DR+153.1%10.6✓6.7-0.40Democratic69.59%$10.28
Illinois' 12thBattleground DEVEN50.1%8.9✓1.5✓11.10Democratic46.64%$7.52
Illinois' 13thBattleground REVEN47.2%0.3-0.3✓110Republican51.38%$10.22
Michigan's 1stBattleground RR+545.1%0.5-8.3✓1.32Republican59.74%$13.30
Minnesota's 8thBattleground DD+152.4%8.9✓5.5✓8.60Democratic34.52%$6.52
Nevada's 3rdBattleground REVEN44.2%7.5✓0.8✓8.92Republican61.24%$17.66
New Hampshire's 1stBattleground DR+150.4%3.8✓1.6✓6.40Democratic47.47%$10.02
New Jersey's 2ndBattleground RD+140.2%17.4✓8.1✓7.718Republican96.60%$9.40
New Jersey's 3rdBattleground RR+144.8%8.9✓4.6✓3.42Republican66.17%$11.94
New York's 1stBattleground DR+251.3%4.6✓0.5✓310Democratic54.54%$18.81
New York's 11thBattleground RR+246.1%5✓4.3-32Republican70.91%$21.96
New York's 18thBattleground DEVEN51.5%3.7✓4.3✓50Democratic40.94%$15.69
New York's 21stBattleground DEVEN51.5%1.9✓6.1✓54Democratic50.05%$15.54
New York's 23rdBattleground RR+345.6%3.6-1.2✓13Republican71.76%$15.31
Texas' 23rdBattleground DR+348.7%4.8-2.6✓10Democratic39.93%$18.65
Virginia's 2ndBattleground RR+243.4%7.7✓1.5✓1.72Republican54.38%$14.42
West Virginia's 3rdBattleground DR+1450.4%7.1-32.2-13.420Democratic69.55%$13.26
  • Cook's PVI is Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index.[10]
  • FairVote's %D is FairVote.org's 2014 congressional election projections.[11]
According to our study, only 16 states had one or more competitive districts in 2014.
  • Both the 2012 and 2008 presidential MOV have either "✓" or "-" before the number. The "✓" indicates the district went in favor of the winner, in both years this was President Obama. The "-" indicates the district favored the Republican who lost in each election, Romney in 2012 and McCain in 2008.

Will the battlegrounds change?

Ballotpedia's team carefully monitored all districts to see if a factor, such as an incumbent retiring, caused the district to become competitive. Barring large factors such as a retirement or death, our competitive list remained static. The changes were recorded below.

October 2013

Florida's 13th Congressional District

This district was not on our most competitive list until late October 2013. The late Rep.Bill Young consistently received high MOVs (15.1% points in 2012) and enjoyed a 42 year incumbency. However, with the announcement of his retirement and, subsequently, his passing, the race became competitive due to the recent presidential election results and the gradual change in make-up of the district.

June 2014 Removal

Although the special election that took place in early 2014 garnered national attention and only a slim margin of victory for current-Rep.David Jolly, when it came time for the candidacy filing deadline for the midterm elections, only Jolly and two third-party candidates filed. Without the possible rematch of Jolly versusAlex Sink (D), or another candidate with major-party backing, Ballotpedia no longer considered this a battleground race.

December 2013

Utah's 4th Congressional District

Utah's 4th District was considered by nearly all pundits and political enthusiasts as one of the most competitive races for the 2014 elections. However, when Rep.Jim Matheson announced his retirement on December 17, 2013, the district swung into safe Republican territory. Matheson, first elected to the House in 2000, won a razor thing re-election in 2012 (he won by 768 votes) and was facing a more and more Republican constituency (Mitt Romney won the district by an MOV of 37 percentage points).

Competitive-percent.jpg

January 2014

North Carolina's 7th Congressional District

Similar toUtah's 4th Congressional District, North Carolina's 7th District was considered one of the most competitive districts in the country. Rep.Mike McIntyre narrowly won re-election in 2012. Only 654 votes separated McIntyre fromDavid Rouzer (R). McIntyre was facing a possible rematch against Rouzer in 2014 in a district that has become more conservative each year. His retirement at the end of this term all but guaranteed a Republican pick-up of the seat.

July 2014

California's 10th Congressional District andCalifornia's 52nd Congressional District

California's 10th Congressional District was removed from the battleground list, while California's 52nd District was added to take its place. Race ratings and FEC reports showed that the 10th District was not as competitive as it was originally predicted to be. It was instead likely to be won by Republican incumbentJeff Denham.

On the other hand, the 52nd District was shaping up to be very competitive in 2014. The district appeared to have a very slight Democratic lean, but Republican candidates secured nearly 58 percent of the primary vote. This pointed to incumbentScott Peters (D) facing a difficult re-election bid against challengerCarl DeMaio (R) in November.

How will this shape our coverage?

With a targeted focus of these 26 districts heading into 2014, the Ballotpedia team strived provide readers with comprehensive information on these elections, above and beyond our normal election coverage.

Beginning in January, Ballotpedia released one in-depth look at each competitive district every week.

However, for the 406 districts that did not receive a competitive label, the readers still saw the same coverage they expected from Ballotpedia.

Battleground badges

To quickly alert readers to the hot races of 2014, the Congress Project developed "battleground badges" that signified the races to pay attention to.

BattlegroundRace.jpg

If you saw this badge on a district page, it meant that you were on one of the 26 House races, or a particularly close Senate race, that Ballotpedia would be monitoring.

SimmeringRace.jpg
When you spotted this badge added by the Congress Project, it indicated that the race would be close, but the statistics illustrated that it would not be as close as a battleground race.

Our goals for this study

  • Ballotpedia hoped this study allowed you, as a reader and voter, to focus your resources (whether it be your time or your money) on the truly competitive districts.
  • We hoped that our readers would look past the hype and be able to quickly and effectively determine what districts were deserving of attention.

2014 results

StateBeforeAfter
IncumbentPartyWinnerWinner PartyDistrict Party Change?
Arizona's 1st DistrictAnn KirkpatrickDemocratic PartyAnn KirkpatrickDemocratic PartyNo
Arizona's 2nd DistrictRon BarberDemocratic PartyMartha McSallyRepublican PartyYes
Arizona's 9th DistrictKyrsten SinemaDemocratic PartyKyrsten SinemaDemocratic PartyNo
California's 7th DistrictAmi BeraDemocratic PartyAmi BeraDemocratic PartyNo
California's 21st DistrictDavid ValadaoRepublican PartyDavid ValadaoRepublican PartyNo
California's 36th DistrictRaul RuizDemocratic PartyRaul RuizDemocratic PartyNo
California's 52nd DistrictScott PetersDemocratic PartyScott PetersDemocratic PartyNo
Colorado's 6th DistrictMike CoffmanRepublican PartyMike CoffmanRepublican PartyNo
Florida's 18th DistrictPatrick MurphyDemocratic PartyPatrick MurphyDemocratic PartyNo
Florida's 26th DistrictJoe GarciaDemocratic PartyCarlos CurbeloRepublican PartyYes
Illinois' 12th DistrictWilliam EnyartDemocratic PartyMike BostRepublican PartyYes
Illinois' 13th DistrictRodney DavisRepublican PartyRodney DavisRepublican PartyNo
Michigan's 1st DistrictDan BenishekRepublican PartyDan BenishekRepublican PartyNo
Minnesota's 8th DistrictRick NolanDemocratic PartyRick NolanDemocratic PartyNo
Nevada's 3rd DistrictJoe HeckRepublican PartyJoe HeckRepublican PartyNo
New Hampshire's 1st DistrictCarol Shea-PorterDemocratic PartyFrank GuintaRepublican PartyYes
New Jersey's 2nd DistrictFrank LoBiondoRepublican PartyFrank LoBiondoRepublican PartyNo
New Jersey's 3rd DistrictJon Runyan*Republican PartyTom MacArthurRepublican PartyNo
New York's 1st DistrictTim BishopDemocratic PartyLee ZeldinRepublican PartyYes
New York's 11th DistrictMichael GrimmRepublican PartyMichael GrimmRepublican PartyNo
New York's 18th DistrictSean MaloneyDemocratic PartySean MaloneyDemocratic PartyNo
New York's 21st DistrictBill Owens*Democratic PartyElise StefanikRepublican PartyYes
New York's 23rd DistrictTom ReedRepublican PartyTom ReedRepublican PartyNo
Texas' 23rd DistrictPete GallegoDemocratic PartyWill HurdRepublican PartyYes
Virginia's 2nd DistrictScott RigellRepublican PartyScott RigellRepublican PartyNo
West Virginia's 3rd DistrictNick RahallDemocratic PartyEvan JenkinsRepublican PartyYes

"*" indicates that the incumbent retired in 2014.

Upsets

Non-battleground district upsets included:

DistrictBeforeAfter
IncumbentPartyWinnerWinner Party
California's 31st DistrictGary Miller (Retired)Republican PartyPete AguilarDemocratic Party
Florida's 2nd DistrictSteve SoutherlandRepublican PartyGwen GrahamDemocratic Party
Georgia's 12th DistrictJohn BarrowDemocratic PartyRick AllenRepublican Party
Illinois' 10th DistrictBrad SchneiderDemocratic PartyRobert J. DoldRepublican Party
Iowa's 1st DistrictBruce Braley (Ran for Senate)Democratic PartyRod BlumRepublican Party
Maine's 2nd DistrictMike Michaud (Ran for governor)Democratic PartyBruce PoliquinRepublican Party
Nebraska's 2nd DistrictLee TerryRepublican PartyBrad AshfordDemocratic Party
Nevada's 4th DistrictSteven HorsfordDemocratic PartyCresent HardyRepublican Party
New York's 24th DistrictDan MaffeiDemocratic PartyJohn KatkoRepublican Party

Expected seat changes

These are districts where a change in party was expected due to a very vulnerable incumbent. These races were not rated as battlegrounds because they were likely to flip control.

DistrictBeforeAfter
IncumbentPartyWinnerWinner Party
North Carolina's 7th DistrictMike McIntyre (Retiring)Democratic PartyDavid RouzerRepublican Party
Utah's 4th DistrictJim Matheson (Retiring)Democratic PartyMia LoveRepublican Party
West Virginia's 3rd DistrictNick RahallDemocratic PartyEvan JenkinsRepublican Party

Other initial 2014 predictions and targets

Cook Political Report

Cook Political Report had 76 districts labeled ascompetitive.

    Likely Democratic
    Lean Democratic
    D Tossup

    R Tossup
    Lean Republican
    Likely Republican

Cook Political Report Race Rating -- 2014 U.S. House Competitive Districts
MonthLikely DLean DD TossupR TossupLean RLikely RTotal DTotal RTotal Competitive races
August 8, 2013[12]1416811117282957
September 5, 2013[13]1415911117382967
October 21, 2013[14]1415911117363470
October 30, 2013[15]12151021616373471
December 18, 2013[16]14141041515383472
January 7, 2014[17]14151041616393675
January 15, 2014[18]14141141618393877
February 13, 2014[19]14131141618383876
March 13, 2014[20]15131131618393776
April 4, 2014[21]15131131719393978
June 26, 2014[22]16141121618413677
August 8, 2014[23]1513133917412970
September 19, 2014[24]1413114818383068
October 22, 2014[25]1114135615382664

Sabato's Crystal Ball

Larry Sabato'sCrystal Ball projections labeled 66 races ascompetitive.

    Likely Democratic
    Lean Democratic
    D Tossup

    R Tossup
    Lean Republican
    Likely Republican

Sabato's Crystal Ball Race Rating -- U.S. House
MonthLikely DLean DD TossupR TossupLean RLikely RTotal DTotal RTotal Competitive races
October 23, 2013[26]720531512323062
December 17, 2013[27]819561414323466
January 7, 2014[28]819571414323567
March 12, 2014[29]1015751415323466
March 31, 2014[30]1015751516323668
August 6, 2014[31]9131031116323062


FairVote's Monopoly Politics 2014

According to the 2014 national house election projections, there were:[32]

  • 201 Safe Republican districts
  • 18 Likely Republican districts
  • 21 Tossup districts
  • 15 Likely Democratic districts
  • 151 Safe Democratic districts

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee

Between their Frontline Program, designed to help vulnerable incumbents win re-elections, and their Jumpstart Program, which provides early support to candidates in competitive districts, theDemocratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) targeted 42 races with their resources.

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Frontline Program
DistrictIncumbentResult
Arizona's 2nd DistrictRon BarberDefeatedd
Georgia's 12th DistrictJohn BarrowDefeatedd
California's 7th DistrictAmi BeraGreen check mark transparent.png
New York's 1st DistrictTim BishopDefeatedd
California's 26th DistrictJulia BrownleyGreen check mark transparent.png
Illinois' 17th DistrictCheri BustosGreen check mark transparent.png
California's 24th DistrictLois CappsGreen check mark transparent.png
Washington's 1st DistrictSuzan DelBeneGreen check mark transparent.png
Illinois' 12th DistrictBill EnyartDefeatedd
Connecticut's 5th DistrictElizabeth EstyGreen check mark transparent.png
Texas' 23rd DistrictPete GallegoDefeatedd
Florida's 26th DistrictJoe GarciaDefeatedd
Arizona's 1st DistrictAnn KirkpatrickGreen check mark transparent.png
New Hampshire's 2nd DistrictAnn McLane KusterGreen check mark transparent.png
New York's 18th DistrictSean Patrick MaloneyGreen check mark transparent.png
New York's 24th DistrictDan MaffeiDefeatedd
Utah's 4th DistrictJim MathesonDefeatedd
North Carolina's 7th DistrictMike McIntyreDefeatedd
Florida's 18th DistrictPatrick MurphyGreen check mark transparent.png
New York's 21st DistrictBill OwensDefeatedd
California's 52nd DistrictScott PetersGreen check mark transparent.png
California's 36th DistrictRaul RuizGreen check mark transparent.png
Illinois' 10th DistrictBrad SchneiderDefeatedd
New Hampshire's 1st DistrictCarol Shea-PorterDefeatedd
Arizona's 9th DistrictKyrsten SinemaGreen check mark transparent.png
Massachusetts' 6th DistrictJohn TierneyGreen check mark transparent.png
West Virginia's 3rd DistrictNick RahallDefeatedd
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Jumpstart Program
DistrictChallengerIncumbentResult
California's 10th DistrictMichael EggmanJeff DenhamDefeatedd
California's 31st DistrictPete AguilarGary MillerGreen check mark transparent.png
Colorado's 6th DistrictAndrew RomanoffMike CoffmanDefeatedd
Florida's 2nd DistrictGwen GrahamSteve SoutherlandGreen check mark transparent.png
Illinois' 13th DistrictAnn CallisRodney DavisDefeatedd
Iowa's 3rd DistrictStaci AppelTom LathamDefeatedd
Michigan's 1st DistrictJerry CannonDan BenishekDefeatedd
Michigan's 7th DistrictPam ByrnesTim WalbergDefeatedd
Montana's at-large DistrictJohn LewisMax BaucusDefeatedd
Nevada's 3rd DistrictErin Bilbray-KohnJoe HeckDefeatedd
New Mexico's 2nd DistrictRoxanne LaraSteve PearceDefeatedd
New York's 11th DistrictDomenic RecchiaMichael GrimmDefeatedd
New York's 23rd DistrictMartha RobertsonTom ReedDefeatedd
Ohio's 6th DistrictJennifer GarrisonBill JohnsonDefeatedd
Pennsylvania's 8th DistrictKevin StrouseMichael FitzpatrickDefeatedd
Virginia's 2nd DistrictSuzanne PatrickScott RigellDefeatedd

National Republican Congressional Committee

The National Republican Congressional Committee's (NRCC) Patriot Program was the counterpart of the DCCC's Frontline Program and was designed to assist vulnerable incumbents in their re-election bids. The following table lists the members of the Patriot Program in 2014.

National Republican Congressional Committee Patriot Program, 2014
DistrictIncumbentResult
Michigan's 1st DistrictDan BenishekGreen check mark transparent.png
Colorado's 6th DistrictMike CoffmanGreen check mark transparent.png
Illinois' 13th DistrictRodney DavisGreen check mark transparent.png
California's 10th DistrictJeff DenhamGreen check mark transparent.png
Pennsylvania's 8th DistrictMichael G. FitzpatrickGreen check mark transparent.png
New York's 19th DistrictChris GibsonGreen check mark transparent.png
New York's 11th DistrictMike GrimmGreen check mark transparent.png
Nevada's 3rd DistrictJoe HeckGreen check mark transparent.png
Ohio's 6th DistrictBill JohnsonGreen check mark transparent.png
Florida's 13th DistrictDavid JollyGreen check mark transparent.png
Ohio's 14th DistrictDavid JoyceGreen check mark transparent.png
New York's 23rd DistrictTom ReedGreen check mark transparent.png
Virginia's 2nd DistrictScott RigellGreen check mark transparent.png
Florida's 2nd DistrictSteve Southerland IIDefeatedd
California's 21st DistrictDavid G. ValadaoGreen check mark transparent.png
Michigan's 7th DistrictTim WalbergGreen check mark transparent.png
Indiana's 2nd DistrictJackie WalorskiGreen check mark transparent.png
NRCC targets

The following Democratic incumbents were targeted by the NRCC in 2014.

National Republican Congressional Committee, Targeted incumbents
DistrictTargeted incumbentNovember 4 Results
Arizona's 1st DistrictAnn KirkpatrickAnn Kirkpatrick
Arizona's 2nd DistrictRon BarberPending
Georgia's 12th DistrictJohn BarrowRick Allen
Minnesota's 7th DistrictCollin PetersonCollin Peterson
North Carolina's 7th DistrictMike McIntyreDavid Rouzer
Utah's 4th DistrictJim MathesonMia Love
West Virginia's 3rd DistrictNick RahallEvan Jenkins

See also

Footnotes

  1. OpenSecrets, "The Money Behind the Elections," accessed October 15, 2013
  2. The Cook Political Report, "2012 HOUSE RACE RATINGS FOR NOVEMBER 5, 2012," November 5, 2012
  3. OpenSecrets, "Most Expensive Races," accessed October 28, 2013
  4. Cook Political, "2012 HOUSE RACE RATINGS FOR NOVEMBER 5, 2012," accessed October 31, 2013
  5. USDA, "Official USDA Food Plans: Cost of Food at Home at Four Levels, U.S. Average, January 2012," accessed November 5, 2013(dead link)
  6. The Water Project, "COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT FUNDING A WELL / WATER PROJECT," accessed November 5, 2013
  7. Whatcom Clubs.org, "Expansion Policies," accessed November 5, 2013
  8. Realtor.com, "Robert Pattinson Lists ‘Twilight’ Love Nest," accessed November 5, 2013
  9. MTV, "Kim Kardashian's $1.25 Million Engagement Ring?" accessed November 5, 2013
  10. The Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2014 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," accessed November 5, 2013
  11. FairVote, "FairVote Releases Projections for the 2014 Congressional Elections," accessed November 5, 2013
  12. Cook Political Report, "2014 HOUSE RACE RATINGS," accessed August 9, 2013
  13. Cook Political Report, "2014 HOUSE RACE RATINGS," accessed September 18, 2013
  14. Cook Political Report, "2014 HOUSE RACE RATINGS," accessed October 21, 2013
  15. Cook Political Report, "2014 HOUSE RACE RATINGS," accessed October 30, 2013
  16. Cook Political Report, "2014 HOUSE RACE RATINGS," accessed December 18, 2013
  17. Cook Political Report, "2014 HOUSE RACE RATINGS," accessed January 7, 2014
  18. Cook Political Report, "2014 HOUSE RACE RATINGS," accessed January 15, 2014
  19. Cook Political Report, "2014 HOUSE RACE RATINGS," accessed February 14, 2014
  20. Cook Political Report, "2014 HOUSE RACE RATINGS," accessed March 13, 2014
  21. Cook Political Report, "2014 HOUSE RACE RATINGS," accessed April 4, 2014
  22. Cook Political Report, "2014 HOUSE RACE RATINGS," accessed August 14, 2014
  23. Cook Political Report, "2014 HOUSE RACE RATINGS," accessed August 14, 2014
  24. Cook Political Report, "2014 HOUSE RACE RATINGS," accessed October 24, 2014
  25. Cook Political Report, "2014 HOUSE RACE RATINGS," accessed October 24, 2014
  26. Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2014 House Ratings," accessed November 5, 2013
  27. Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2014 House Ratings," accessed December 17, 2013
  28. Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2014 House Ratings," accessed January 7, 2014
  29. Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2014 House Ratings," accessed March 12, 2014
  30. Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2014 House Ratings," accessed March 31, 2014
  31. Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2014 House Ratings," August 6, 2014
  32. FairVote.org, "Monopoly Politics 2014," accessed November 5, 2013
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