DCCC adds six candidates to program aimed at flipping GOP-held seats

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) added six candidates to its program aimed at flipping GOP-held seats in November’s elections. 

As members of the “Red to Blue” program, the candidates will be backed by organizational and fundraising support to help them push forward in the general election to flip the seats. 

The DCCC on Thursday added Margaret Good, a candidate seeking a seat representing Florida’s 16th  Congressional District; Amy Kennedy, seeking election in New Jersey’s 2nd Congressional District; Desiree Tims, running for Ohio’s 10th Congressional District; Christina Finello, seeking to represent Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District; Sima Ladjevardian, a hopeful for Texas’s 2nd Congressional District and Candace Valenzuela, running to represent Texas’s 24th Congressional District. 

The newly added members join 24 other Democratic candidates the DCCC is backing as part of the “Red to Blue” initiative to flip seats across the country in the fall. 

“House Democrats are pushing deeper into Republican held-territory with a group of strong and diverse candidates who are committed to putting everyday Americans first and working to lower the cost of health care and fight to ensure protections for people with pre-existing conditions,” DCCC Chairwoman Cheri Bustos (Ill.) said in a statement. 

“There is no question: We have been able to build a big battlefield in 2020 because of our exceptional candidates. I look forward to working with each of these proven leaders in the fight to protect the health, safety and economic future of all of our communities,” she added. 

The DCCC said the candidates earned a spot in the program by surpassing goals for grassroots engagement, local support, campaign organizations and fundraising. 

Other candidates in the program are seeking GOP-held seats in Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Montana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Texas, Washington, Kansas and Michigan. 

Democrats are looking to build on the House majority they won back in the 2018 election, when Democrats netted 41 seats. To build on the lead, Democrats will also need to defend against tough challenges in some of the districts Democratic congressional candidates flipped in the midterm election.