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The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is adding five new races to its Red to Blue list, a program that looks to equip candidates in particularly competitive districts.
The Red to Blue program is backing Tom Perriello in Virginia, Nancy Lacore in South Carolina, Matt Dunlap in Maine, Zach Dembo in Kentucky and Leela Gray in Florida, bringing the program’s designated races to a total of 37.
The additions indicate a growing number of seats the party’s House campaign arm believes it can win as they try to retake the House of Representatives, where Republicans hold a slim majority. The announcement also telegraphs further investment in those particular races.
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U.S. Representative Suzan DelBene (D-WA) answers questions during a news conference about the recent Congressional delegation trip to the Indo-Pacific region, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., August 10, 2022. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein (Reuters)
"All of these candidates are proven fighters who are running strong campaigns, talking to every voter, and building coalitions across the ideological spectrum to power their victories in November." DCCC Chair Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., said in a statement.
The five new candidates can expect to receive strategic guidance, staff resources, training and fundraising support "to ensure they are in the best possible position to win in November," Red to Blue stated in a press release.
Notably, all five candidates have some record of prior public or military service.
Leela Gray, running in Florida’s 13th Congressional District, captured the Democratic nomination on Tuesday evening, highlighting her 30-year Army career, during which she rose to the rank of brigadier general.
Her record is similar to that of Nancy Lacore, the Democratic candidate in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, and her story as a former three-star Navy admiral.
U.S. Captain Nancy S. Lacore delivers a speech during a handover ceremony at the Camp Lemonier U.S. navy base in Djibouti on July 20, 2017. Captain Lacore was the first woman captain to be in charge of the overall command of Camp Lemonier. (Houssein Hersi/AFP via Getty Images)
Similarly, Zach Dembo, who is trying to flip Kentucky’s 6th District, served as a Navy JAG officer and DOJ prosecutor.
The remaining two candidates — Matt Dunlap in Maine’s 2nd District and Tom Perriello, the Democratic nominee in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District — both have held public office before.
Dunlap served as Maine Secretary of State, while Perriello is a former congressman.
Despite the additional focus, most of the districts are relatively safe for Republicans. Three of them, VA-05, S.C.-01 and KY-06, were all won by the GOP by an average 19.3% margin of victory.
Only two of them, FL-13 and ME-02, were decided by less than 10%.
Notably, the Maine race is the most competitive out of the group, having been decided by just 0.6% in 2024 in a narrow win for Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine. Golden is not pursuing re-election.
In addition to their service backgrounds, DelBene, the DCCC chair, said the candidates would stress areas where voters might feel like Republicans have overpromised and underdelivered.
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Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Suzan DelBene speaks on stage during the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 21, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
"American families are struggling under the broken promises and higher costs caused by House Republicans, and they’re eager for leaders who will always put the well-being of their communities first, not rubber-stamp Trump’s failed agenda," DelBene said.
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Having cleared their respective primaries, all five candidates are now headed to their general elections on Nov. 3.
Leo Briceno is a politics reporter for the congressional team at Fox News Digital. He was previously a reporter with World Magazine.
