Eleven US House of Representatives races to watch in 2024

[April 26, 2024]  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives will be defending a narrow majority in the Nov. 5 elections, with court-ordered redistricting putting some of their seats - including one in Alabama - at risk.

Below are some of the races to watch as the Republican and Democratic parties battle through 2024 for control of the chamber.

SANTOS BOWS OUT

Republican George Santos, who was expelled from Congress in December after being indicted over corruption charges, on April 23 ended his long-shot independent bid to unseat first-term Republican Representative Nick LaLota, who represents a district made up of a number of suburbs of New York City.

LaLota's seat is one of several seats Democrats are aiming at in their bid to recapture a House majority.

A half-dozen Democrats have filed to take him on, including Nancy Goroff, a former chair of a university's chemistry department, and Jim Gaughran, a former state senator.

New York's congressional primaries are on June 25.

DEMOCRATS TARGET PERRY

Republican Scott Perry, one of the key lawmakers involved in then-U.S. President Donald Trump's bid to overturn the 2020 election, has been a key target for Democrats, who say he is far too conservative for his Pennsylvania district.

Janelle Stelson, a television journalist, won a competitive Democratic primary on April 23 to challenge him. Democrats are expected to make the threat to democracy a central part of their pitch to voters in November.

ALABAMA'S SECOND DISTRICT

Shomari Figures, a Democratic former Justice Department official, and first-time candidate Caroleene Dobson, a Republican, emerged from an April 16 runoff primary.

The district was created after a federal court ordered Alabama to implement a congressional map that created a second largely Black district. That decision is expected to give Democrats a rare opportunity to gain a seat in the conservative Southern state.

Legal battles over redistricting could play a role in the congressional maps for as many as 10 states and potentially tip control of the House.

REPLACING BRIAN HIGGINS

New York state Senator Tim Kennedy, a Democrat, and Gary Dickson, a Republican town supervisor, are facing off in the April 30 special election to replace Republican Representative Brian Higgins, who left Congress to head a performing arts center.

A Democratic win - which is expected in the district - would further erode Republicans' narrow House majority. But Republicans are expected to regain members with other special elections later this year.

KEVIN MCCARTHY'S SEAT STAYS OPEN LONGER

California Assembly member Vince Fong, who had been an aide to former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, failed to secure enough support on March 19 to avoid a May 21 runoff election with Mike Boudreaux, a county sheriff and president of the California State Sheriffs' Association.

That meant that the seat, representing California's 20th Congressional District, would remain vacant another two months -- a headache for McCarthy's successor, House Speaker Mike Johnson, as he leads a thin majority.

Fong has collected endorsements from McCarthy and Trump.

BILL JOHNSON'S EXIT

Michael Rulli, a Republican state senator, will face off against Michael Kripchak, a Democrat who worked in the entertainment industry before co-founding an electronic signal location tracking company, in the special and general elections to replace Representative Bill Johnson of Ohio.

Johnson had stepped down to head a university, leaving voters in his district to choose candidates to hold the seat through the rest of the term and also on the ballot in the November general election.

The district is heavily Republican. The special election for the seat is on June 11.

LAUREN BOEBERT'S SWAP

Colorado will hold a June 25 special election to replace Republican Ken Buck, who left Congress before his two-year term was up. The parties will both choose candidates to represent them in the special election.

The special election will be held on the same day as the general election. Firebrand conservative Lauren Boebert, who won an unexpectedly narrow reelection bid in 2022 and who was facing a tough primary opponent in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District, has said she would run in Buck's old district instead.

Boebert, who would have needed to resign her seat to run for the special election, has said she would only run in the general election.

Aside from Boebert, the crowded Republican general primary also includes two former state senators, a radio host and the former Republican leader in the state's general assembly.

The seat is not considered competitive for the Democrats in the general election.

DEMOCRATS AIM AT SCHWEIKERT

In Arizona's 1st District, Republican David Schweikert, who was first elected in 2010, is considered one of Democrats' top targets as they seek to gain control of the House. Schweikert narrowly won his reelection bid in 2022.

A dozen candidates have filed to challenge Schweikert, including eight Democrats. Among them are Conor O'Callaghan, a first-time candidate who works in finance; Andrei Cherny, a former White House speechwriter and former chair of the Arizona Democratic Party; and Amish Shah, a doctor and state lawmaker.

Arizona's primary elections are on July 30.

REPUBLICAN BID TO UNSEAT PEREZ

First-term Democratic Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington state is seeking reelection, after initially edging out her opponent by 1 percentage point.

Hoping to face off against Perez is Joe Kent, who was the lawmaker's opponent in 2022 and who was endorsed by the state Republican Party in August. Kent, who had been endorsed by Trump, had challenged the results of the 2020 election and raised conspiracy theories about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Also seeking the Republican nomination is Leslie Lewallen, a former prosecutor and member of a local city council.

Washington's primaries will be held on Aug. 6.

FILLING GALLAGHER'S SEAT

Republican lawmaker Mike Gallagher, who had been considered a rising star in his party, submitted his retirement to Congress on April 24. Under Wisconsin law, Gallagher's old seat will remain empty until the November general election.

So far, four people have filed to replace Gallagher: three Republicans and one Democrat. They include a state lawmaker and a former state Senate president.

CORI BUSH'S CHALLENGER

Pro-Israel groups have sought challengers to progressive left-wing lawmakers, but the representatives have mostly been able to far outraise opponents who have failed to gain much traction.

One exception is Cori Bush, a former activist and city councilwoman, in Missouri. Her primary challenger, Wesley Bell, was a prosecutor and had announced a Senate run before shifting his sights onto her congressional seat.

Bell has raised more money and has more cash on hand at the end of the most recent cycle.

Aside from Bush's criticism of Israel's handling of its war with Hamas, she has also faced scrutiny over her security spending.

The seat is considered a safe Democratic seat, with the person emerging from the Democratic primary likely to be elected in November. Missouri's primary election will be held on Aug. 6.

(Reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by Scott Malone, Jonathan Oatis, Daniel Wallis, Gerry Doyle, Lincoln Feast.and Chizu Nomiyama)

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