THE MIDTERMS MINUTE: Help Flip Toss Up Battleground House Races in NC, TX, & VA!

The Midterms Minute is a look at the candidates and races in battleground districts that you need to know about, shout about and support to make the biggest impact possible in the election on November 6th.

This is it, folks. As of the release date of episode #1221, we are exactly 2 weeks out from election day. If you have been slacking on donating or volunteering, there is absolutely no time to lose. Early voting is now open many states, so check out all early voting information by state, including the three vote by mail states. Information for ALL of the battleground races and how to get involved can be found at The Midterms Minute H.Q..

We continue today with our focus on toss up battleground races for the House that we haven’t covered yet. Specifically, we’re talking about states with more than one of these races. As a reminder, Democrats must flip 24 Republican seats to take the house.

Let’s dive in….

NC-09: North Carolina has two toss up battleground races. The state’s 9th district is an open seat race because, in a rare occurrence, the incumbent lost his primary. Now Democratic businessman and veteran Dan McCready is challenging Republican pastor Mark Harris, who led the fight against gay marriage in the state. Trump won the district by 11 points and the Republican primary was fought over who loved and supported Trump the most. However, McCready appears to have a slight lead in the polls even though a Democrat hasn’t held this seat in 56 years.

NC-13: In North Carolina’s 13th district, Democrat and lawyer Kathy Manning is challenging Republican incumbent Ted Budd, who is adamantly anti-abortion and anti-gay marriage. Though Budd has already served a term in congress, he is still calling himself a “political outsider,” while Manning has never held political office. Manning has made standing up to the insurance industry a pinnacle of her campaign and says she will not vote for Nancy Pelosi as House leader, but she is slightly behind in the polls.

TX-07: Now, moving on to Texas, which has two toss up battleground races. In Texas’ 7th district, which includes Houston, Democratic attorney and reproductive rights activist Lizzie Pannill Fletcher is challenging Republican incumbent John Culberson. Culberson is best known for co-sponsoring birther legislation, as well as denying climate change and opposing abortion and gay marriage. Culberson serves on the House Appropriations Committee and chairs the subcommittee on commerce, justice, science, and related agencies. If it’s concerning to you that a climate denying, oil and gas politician who didn’t mention climate change or zoning laws once after hurricane Harvey flooded Houston is sitting on these committees, that concern would be justified. Fletcher has pointed out that warnings about Houston’s flood risk came as long ago as 1996 but politicians ignored them. Clinton won this district by 1 percentage point and this race is neck and neck.

TX-32: In Texas’ 32nd district, Democratic civil rights attorney Colin Allred is challenging Republican incumbent Pete Sessions, former chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. Although Sessions won his last re-election by 26 points, Clinton won this district. The fact that End Citizens United has heavily invested in targeting Sessions with negative ads might tell you a bit about who he is. Sessions, of course, is trying to link Allred with Nancy Pelosi, who is once again the Republican embodiment of scary liberalism. The candidates are within a point of each other in the latest New York Times poll.

VA-02: Virginia also has two toss up battlegrounds. In Virginia’s 2nd district, Democratic businesswoman and Navy veteran Elaine Luria is challenging Republican incumbent and former Navy SEAL Scott Taylor. Taylor won in 2016 by 23 points, however Trump only took the district by 3 points. The latest polls have Taylor leading Luria in this district that includes the world’s largest navy base and one of the highest concentration of veterans. Taylor, who wants more military spending but hates taxes and Obamacare, is a member of the House Appropriations Committee. It’d be nice to see him go.

VA-07: In Virginia’s 7th district, Democratic former CIA operations officer Abigail Spanberger is challenging Republican incumbent David Brat, who won this seat in 2014 by beating then House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. This district has been held by Republicans since 1971. The district’s counties were split in the presidential election, but both voted Democratic in the 2017 governors race. As Brat has been calling Spanberger “Nancy Pelosi” every chance he gets instead of using her real name, a video of her forceful response to his idiocy during a recent debate has gone viral. She was inspired to run after Brat voted for an Obamacare repeal measure that passed the House and has called out Brat for avoiding town halls with constituents.

As a reminder, voter purging is happening across the country so we urge you to confirm your voter registration ASAP. Visit HeadCount.org to quickly be directed to your state’s specific website to confirm your voter registration. If there is a problem, contact 866-OUR-VOTE to report the problem and get guidance ASAP.

So, if making the Blue Wave a reality in November is important to you, be sure to hit the share buttons to spread the word about supporting Democrats in battleground races across the country via social media so that others in your network can spread the word too.

THE MIDTERMS MINUTE (Quick Links)

CONFIRM VOTER REGISTRATION: HeadCount.org/verify-voter-registration/

CHECK VOTING DATES & POLICIES: RocktheVote.org/voting-information/

VOTER ID INFO/HELP: VoteRiders & 866ourvote.org

All Battleground Info/Resources: THE MIDTERMS MINUTE H.Q.

Early Voting Information by State

TOSS UP BATTLEGROUND HOUSE SEATS (part 2)

North Carolina

NC-09: Dan McCready

Red to Blue NC-09

NC-13: Kathy Manning

Red to Blue NC-13