Cook Political Report moves GOP chairman’s race to ‘toss-up’

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report on Friday moved the Dallas-area House district represented by Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) to a “toss-up” in its ratings of top races. 

Sessions’s suburban Dallas district could be ripe for a tough challenge from Democrats, especially since the district voted for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016. 

{mosads}Pointing to polling data shared with the group, Cook argued that Sessions, the chairman of the House Rules Committee, is “at the moment, the most vulnerable incumbent in the Lone Star State.”

His opponent in this year’s election, civil rights attorney and former NFL player Colin Allred, won the Democratic runoff with 70 percent of the vote. Allred raised $1 million during the primary phase and has $262,000 in cash on hand.

Democrats are expected to heavily invest in the seat — the House Majority PAC, the super PAC aligned with Democratic efforts to flip the House, has already booked more than $2 million in television advertising time in Dallas.  

Meanwhile, Sessions had $1.5 million in his bank account as of the end of March. While Sessions himself hasn’t had to run a tough race in more than a decade, he previously chaired the National Republican Congressional Committee and is expected to receives strong financial backing from the party. 

Sessions is one of a number of Republican incumbents who face tough reelection races this year in Texas. Democrats are mounting credible challenges against Reps. John Culberson (R) and Will Hurd (R) as well.

Democrats currently hold a 6-point advantage over Republicans on a generic House ballot, according to a poll from the left-leaning Public Policy Polling released this week.