Eleven US House of Representatives races to watch in 2024

[May 21, 2024]  WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives will defend a narrow majority in the Nov. 5 elections. Below are some of the races to watch as Republicans and Democrats battle through 2024 for control of the chamber.

REPLACING KEVIN MCCARTHY

Two Republicans - California Assembly member Vince Fong and Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux - will face off on Tuesday in a special election runoff to fill Republican former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's seat. McCarthy resigned from Congress late last year after a small group of hardliners in his own party engineered his ouster, a historic first.

The winner of Tuesday's matchup will represent the state's 20th Congressional District and add to Republicans' narrow 217-213 majority. No Democrat advanced to the runoff in the nonpartisan contest.

TEXAS REPUBLICAN RUNOFF

Republican incumbent Tony Gonzales, who represents a district in south Texas, faces a May 28 nominating contest runoff challenge from fellow Republican Brandon Herrera, a gun rights social media personality.

The contest is closely watched because it is seen as a bellwether for the direction of the party, with some of Gonzales' fellow House Republicans targeting him for his more moderate positions, including for supporting bipartisan gun safety legislation after 19 young students and two teachers were killed in a shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, part of his district.

INDICTMENT OF CUELLAR

Republicans Lazaro Garza, a rancher, and Jay Furman, a military veteran, are competing in a May 28 primary runoff to take on Democratic congressman Henry Cuellar in Texas.

Cuellar and his wife were indicted on federal charges accusing them of accepting bribes meant to benefit an Azerbaijani state-owned energy company and a bank based in Mexico. They have denied wrongdoing.

Cuellar ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, and the district had not been considered a top target for Republicans. But the court case could play a role in the November election.

NEW YORK SUBURBS

Republican Representative Nick LaLota's district, made up of a number of suburbs of New York City, is one of several seats Democrats are aiming for in their quest to recapture the House majority.

Though a half dozen Democrats had filed to take him on, the field has winnowed to a race between former CNN journalist John Avlon and the former chair of a university's chemistry department, Nancy Goroff.

Republican George Santos, who was expelled from Congress in December after being indicted over corruption charges, ended his long-shot independent bid to unseat LaLota in April.

New York's congressional primaries are on June 25.

JAMAAL BOWMAN'S CHALLENGER

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

One exception is Democratic congressman Jamaal Bowman, a former school principal in his second two-year term representing a district covering part of New York City and some of its suburbs.

His challenger, Westchester County Executive George Latimer, has attacked Bowman for the congressman's outspoken criticism of Israel's handling of the conflict in Gaza, a vote against Democratic President Joe Biden's infrastructure bill and for not producing enough results. Bowman has pointed to the resources he has steered toward the district.

Latimer has raised more campaign funding than Bowman, and polling suggests the primary will be competitive. The seat is considered a safe seat for Democrats, meaning that whoever wins their primary is favored to win the general election.

OHIO REPUBLICAN FACEOFF

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 a June 11 special election and November's general election to replace Representative Bill Johnson of Ohio.

Johnson had stepped down to head Youngstown State University, leaving voters in his district to choose candidates to hold the seat through the rest of the term and also in the general election.

The district is heavily Republican.

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) walks near the House chamber at the Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 18, 2024. REUTERS/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/File Photo

LAUREN BOEBERT'S SWAP

Colorado will hold a special election on June 25 to replace Republican Ken Buck, who left Congress before his two-year term was up.

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.

The special election will include candidates such as Greg Lopez, a Republican former mayor who has pledged to serve as a placeholder through the end of Buck's term, and Trisha Calvarese, a Democrat who worked as a speechwriter in Washington before returning home to Colorado to care for her parents after they became ill.

The crowded Republican general primary also includes a former Marine, a radio host and a 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.

Among the half-dozen Democrats in the race to take him on are a first-time candidate who works in finance, a former White House speechwriter and former chair of the Arizona Democratic Party, and 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, retired from Congress on April 25.

Wisconsin scheduled a special election to fill Gallagher's seat through the end of his term for Nov. 5, the same day as the general election. A primary for the seat is scheduled for Aug. 13.

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

It is considered a safe seat for Republicans.

DEMOCRATS TARGET PERRY

Republican Scott Perry, one of the key lawmakers involved in Donald Trump's bid to overturn his 2020 presidential election defeat, 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 crowded Democratic primary on April 23 to challenge him. Democrats are expected to make what they characterize as a threat to democracy a central part of their pitch to voters in November.

(Reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by Scott Malone and Jonathan Oatis)

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