House Democrats’ campaign arm reserves $2.6M in ads in competitive districts

by Julia Manchester - 09/08/20 11:13 AM ET

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) reserved $2.6 million in ads in competitive House districts, taking aim at races in states including Texas, Georgia, and New York.

The new reservations, which were first reported by Politico on Tuesday, underscore Democrats’ urgency to not only protect their majority in the lower chamber but flip seats that would normally be considered safe for Republicans.

The committee spent the most money in Texas, investing $1.029 million in television ads in the San Antonio media market, which is home to Rep. Chip Roy’s (R) district, as well as retiring GOP Rep. Will Hurd’s seat. Roy is facing off against former state Sen. Wendy Davis (D) in the 21st district. The non-partisan Cook Political Report rates Roy’s race as a “toss-up,” and the race to replace Hurd as “lean Democratic.”

In Atlanta’s media market, the committee spent $771,000 to reserve television ads, hoping to defend freshman Rep. Lucy McBath’s (D-Ga.) seat in the state’s 6th congressional district against former Rep. Karen Handel (R-Ga.). Cook rates the race as “lean Democratic.” The buy is also meant to help Democratic efforts to flip retiring GOP Rep. Rob Woodall’s (R) seat in Georgia’s 7th district, which Cook rates as “lean Democratic.”

Additionally, the committee has also taken aim at a number of races in New York, Iowa and New Mexico. In New York, the DCCC spent $650,000 in the New York City media market in an effort to flip retiring GOP Rep. Peter King’s seat. It also spent $90,000 in Indianapolis to flip retiring GOP Rep. Susan Brooks’s seat, $30,000 in New Mexico for Democratic Rep. Xochitl Torres Small and $35,000 for Rep. Abby Finkenauer (D) in Iowa.

Prior to the latest reservations, the DCCC had reserved $36 million in airtime in television markets that cover 31 Republican-held seats Democrats are targeting this year and the 42 most vulnerable Democrats.

The committee’s chairwoman, Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.), told The Hill last month she was confident her party would expand its majority in November.

“My prediction as we sit here is we will not only hold on to this Democratic majority, we will grow it,” Bustos said. “We’ve got the right candidates and resources, and we are ready to mobilize even in the middle of a worldwide pandemic.”

However, Bustos’s Republican counterpart, National Republican Campaign Committee Chairman Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) insisted last month in an interview with The Hill that his party would take back the majority, citing the record of congressional Democrats.

“They’ve done none of the things that they promised to do — this time, rather than just run on a resume, run on a biography, they have to run on their record,” Emmer said. “That record is not good and they are going to lose their majority because of it.”