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Democrats are in a New York state of mind when it comes to the battle for the House, with outside groups signaling this week that they'll be targeting freshman New York Republicans in competitive seats.
Democrats need a net gain of just five seats to win the House majority next year, and six New York Republicans represent seats that President Joe Biden would have won in 2020 had the new congressional lines been in place, per calculations from Daily Kos Elections.
On Wednesday House Majority PAC, the main Democratic super PAC that spends in House races, announced it would spend $45 million in New York. A press release noted that the state is not competitive in the presidential race or statewide, so the group is expected to be “the largest investor in New York Democratic campaigns in 2024.” The effort is expected to include polling, TV ads, digital ads, direct mail, grassroots organizing, and voter registration.
The group's non-profit arm, House Majority Forward, announced Thursday that it is launching a "six-figure" digital ad and billboard campaign in more than a dozen House districts, including all six New York seats, targeting Republicans on their plans to cut Social Security and Medicare.
Also on Wednesday, EMILY'S List, which backs female candidates who support abortion rights, announced it is targeting 10 House Republicans, including the six freshmen from New York.
The Empire State was critical to Republicans' successful effort to take control of the House last year. They flipped four House seats there. Three Republicans— embattled GOP Rep. George Santos, Anthony D'Esposito and Marc Molinaro — flipped Democratic-held open seats. And Republican Mike Lawler defeated then-Democratic Congressional Campaign Sean Patrick Maloney.
Two Republicans — Nick LaLota and Brandon Williams — kept competitive open seats in the GOP column.