House Democratic campaign arm adds two races to battleground map

House Democrats’ campaign arm is adding two races to its battleground map — including a key New York swing district — before November as the group seeks to usher in a majority next year amid concerns about President Biden’s position at the top of the ticket.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) announced Wednesday that it is targeting New York’s 22nd Congressional District and Virginia’s 7th Congressional District as part of its “Red to Blue” program, which provides financial support and organization for candidates, according to a statement first shared with The Hill.

The DCCC is supporting New York State Senator John Mannion (D), who is challenging incumbent Representative Brandon Williams (R), in NY-22. In VA-07, the campaign arm is supporting Yevgeny “Eugene” Vindman – a retired Army officer who was a key player in former President Trump’s first impeachment – ​​in his race against Republican Derrick Anderson to replace Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va. ), who is running for governor.

“John Mannion and Eugene Vindman are exemplary public servants who have dedicated their careers to serving our country and their communities. Voters can trust that they will always be vocal defenders of their districts and our democracy,” DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) said in a statement. “I look forward to working with them to regain the House majority and get Congress back to work serving the middle class.”

Williams, who was first elected to Congress in 2022, is one of the most vulnerable House Republicans on the ballot this year. He is one of 17 Republican lawmakers serving districts that President Biden won in 2020. That year, his New York district broke by just over 7 percentage points for Biden.

Decision Desk headquarters projects Mannion has a slightly better chance of winning over Williams, 53% to 47%.

In Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, Democrats hope Vindman will keep the blue seat while Spanberger leaves to run for governor of the Old Dominion.

Vindman easily won a closely contested primary for the Democratic nomination last month, besting six other candidates by double-digit percentages. Several House Democrats supported Vindman during the primary, during which he raised about $5 million.

Vindman and his identical twin brother – veteran Alexander Vindman – became known on the national stage during Trump’s first impeachment, which centered on a phone call between the president and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during which Trump asked Zelensky to investigated then-candidate Joe Biden and his son, Caçador. In the midst of this request, the Trump administration delayed hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Ukraine.

The Vindman brothers raised concerns about the phone call, which ultimately led to the president’s impeachment in the House. The Senate acquitted Trump.

The Cook Political Report says the VA-07 race is currently “lean Democratic.”

The DCCC’s increased focus on the two key races comes as Democrats continue to deal with the fallout from Biden’s disastrous debate performance last month, during which he sometimes stumbled over his words and appeared to lose his train of thought.

Nine House Democrats — including two front-line lawmakers — have publicly called on Biden to step aside, expressing concerns about his ability to defeat Trump in November.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story