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The Mid-Atlantic States Have Some Important Races. Which Ones are Worth Donating To?

by bilboteach

Community

(This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday, Aug. 23, 2024 Friday, Aug. 23, 2024 at 3:31:02am PDT

no image description available — I'm including Pennsylvania in this region because I cannot fit it in anywhere else...

In the excitement about MVP Harris I feel that another important goal has been lost. We’re falling for the same trap we always do in a Presidential year — we focus so heavily on the race for the highest office that we lose sight of the fact that Congress is equally as important to enact our agenda.

I’ve covered the key races in the Great Plains/Mountain West, the Rust Belt, Southwest, New York and California. Those states alone have enough potential to win back the House of Representatives and keep the Senate. But what about other areas of the United States? I’m happy to take a quick look elsewhere too!

Today, I’m looking at the key races in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. They are the states in the Mid-Atlantic region that have competitive House and Senate races. We have a lot of defense to play in this region, and a couple of opportunities to flip seats.

But first, the donations to the Good News Roundup team have dried up in recent times. Donating below is more efficient than to each individual candidate, and you don’t get the spammy calls and emails either!

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 18: U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) holds hands with Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) as the House of Representatives holds its second round of voting for a new Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol on October 18, 2023 in Washington, DC. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) failed in his bid to become Speaker of the House on Tuesday after all Democrats and 20 members of his own party declined to vote for him. The House has been without an elected leader since Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was ousted from the speakership on October 4 in a move led by a small group of conservative members of his own party.

Here is the Save the Majority 2024 Fund on ActBlue! There are plenty of Democratic members of the House that are still vulnerable to being defeated. These 26 members need a boost! Please donate and then share a link to this site on your social media! #SaveTheMajority

We have raised over $12.1k of the new $15k goal so far!

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 25: U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) (L) hands the gavel to newly elected Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) after the House of Representatives held an election in the U.S. Capitol on October 25, 2023 in Washington, DC. After a contentious nominating period that has seen four candidates over a three-week period, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) was voted in to succeed former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who was ousted on October 4 in a move led by a small group of conservative members of his own party. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Let's take back the House by targeting the 16 districts that Biden won in 2020 that have R reps! That brings us to the Beatable16 Fund! Please donate and then share a link to this site on your social media! #Beatable16

We have raised over $22.5k of the $25k goal so far!

Now that this is out of the way, let’s dive into the contests!

New Jersey

New Jersey-7: Sue Altman

New Jersey’s 7th district is held by Rep. Tom Kean, Jr. He pretends to be a moderate but he’s nothing like his more famous father. Sue Altman is the Working Families Alliance leader in New Jersey and is a strong progressive voice. She’s running on cleaning up the corruption in the politics of the state. Let’s make sure that Trump has a Democrat representing him in New Jersey! I’ve already written about the race for New Jersey’s 7th district.

DONATE TO SUE ALTMAN

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Senate: Sen. Bob Casey

Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., smiles while speaking during an event at AFSCME Council 13 offices, March 14, 2024, in Harrisburg, Pa. For Democrats trying to defend the White House and Senate majority, Casey is emerging as the tip of the spear in trying to reframe the election-year narrative around inflation, a key soft spot in 2024 for Democrats on the all-important voter issue of the economy. (AP Photo/Marc Levy) — Sen. Bob Casey has been straddling the line between moderate and progressive in the Senate.

Sen. Bob Casey is defending the Senate seat he has held since the 2006 blue wave election. His opponent is Connecticut rich guy Dave McCormick. McCormick is a dime store version of Mitt Romney. Polling has oscillated between a close race and a blowout with the latter being more recent. I’m honestly not too worried about Casey — if we lose this seat we are under 45 seats and it will be a bad night. I’ve already written about the race for Pennsylvania Senate.

DONATE TO SEN. BOB CASEY

Pennsylvania-1: Ashley Ehasz

Ashley Ehasz is running for Pennsylvania's 1st district located near Philadelphia. It is her second run for office. — She is one badass politician, but she is also an underdog against moderate Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick

Ashley Ehasz is a badass. She still has one of my favorite responses to an attack ad this cycle:

I proudly sacrificed years of my life in combat defending Americans and the American way of life against terrorist groups like Hamas.

For @RepBrianFitz - who has never served a day in uniform - and the @NRCC to now say I support Hamas? Go fuck yourselves. pic.twitter.com/oOUksXA3jS
— Ashley Ehasz (@ashley_ehasz) May 17, 2024

She is also an underdog against moderate Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick. The Fitzpatrick brand is strong in suburban Philadelphia where this district is located. She will have to count on MVP Harris winning the district and less cross-over voting for Fitzpatrick than usual to win. I’ve already written about the race for Pennsylvania’s 1st district.

DONATE TO ASHLEY EHASZ

Pennsylvania-7: Rep. Susan Wild

Rep. Susan Wild won during the 2018 blue wave and has weathered the storm since.

Rep. Susan Wild sits in a marginal district in the Lehigh Valley that Biden barely won in 2020. She’s used to close races, having survived them in 2020 and 2022. Wild is probably heading for a photo finish once again in 2024. Her opponent is State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, an anti-abortion zealot who is out of step with this moderate district. I’ve already written about the race for Pennsylvania’s 7th district.

DONATE TO REP. SUSAN WILD

Pennsylvania-8: Rep. Matt Cartwright

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 21: Chris Martin with other NAMM members meet with Rep. Matt Cartwright(D-PA) on the steps of the capitol during NAMM D.C. Fly-in at the US Capitol on May 21, 2014 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kris Connor/Getty Images for NAMM) — Rep. Matt Cartwright sits in a Trump-won district. He will always be vulnerable due to that.

Rep. Matt Cartwright is a progressive that sits in a district Trump won in 2016 AND 2020. He has watched in horror as this district went from a Democratic vote sink to a GOP-dominated district. Cartwright will always be vulnerable to robust challenges based on that fact alone. His opponent is small business owner Rob Bresnahan. This race could decide who controls the House. I’ve already written about the race for Pennsylvania’s 8th district.

DONATE TO REP. MATT CARTWRIGHT

Pennsylvania-10: Janelle Stelson

Pennsylvania congressional candidate Janelle Stelson — Oh please eject insurrectionist Rep. Scott Perry. Janelle Stelson, you’re our only hope!

Pennsylvania’s 10th district is a Trump-leaning seat that shouldn’t be very competitive. It is the fact that insurrectionist Rep. Scott Perry is a weak incumbent and a possible criminal to boot. Janelle Stelson is an Emmy-winning TV anchor that will hopefully eject the incumbent once and for all. Polling shows this race is going down to the wire! I’ve already written about the race for Pennsylvania’s 10th district.

DONATE TO JANELLE STELSON

Pennsylvania-17: Rep. Chris Deluzio

Rep. Chris Deluzio is our incumbent for Pennsylvania's 17th district, located near Pittsburgh. — Rep. Chris Deluzio outperformed Biden in 2022 in this district based near Pittsburgh.

Yes, this Pittsburgh-based district is more of a Rust Belt district than a Mid-Atlantic one. Come at me bro. Rep. Chris Deluzio did better than Biden 2020 in holding this district in 2022, meaning he shouldn’t be as vulnerable. His opponent is State Rep. Rob Mercuri, another zealot that is far-right. I’m not too worried about this race unless MVP Harris swoons. I’ve already written about the race for Pennsylvania’s 17th district.

DONATE TO REP. CHRIS DELUZIO

Virginia

Virginia-2: Missy Cotter Smasal

This Hampton Roads district has been the median district for the last two decades or so. It usually determines who has control of the House of Representatives. Rep. Jen Kiggans and the challenger Missy Cotter Smasal are locking horns for this seat. Cotter Smasal isn’t quite a political neophyte but she is an underdog at this point. If you donate to anyone today, make it her campaign. I’ve already written about the race for Virginia’s 2nd district.

DONATE TO MISSY COTTER SMASAL

Virginia-7: Eugene Vindman

UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 19: Yevgeny Vindman, the brother of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, director of European affairs at the National Security Council, arrives back to the House Intelligence Committee hearing on the impeachment inquiry of President Trump in Longworth Building on Tuesday, November 19, 2019. Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, testified. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images) — Eugene Vindman and his brother stood up to Trump when he tried to extort Ukraine.

Virginia’s 7th district consists of the DC exurbs and further out in the state. Rep. Abigail Spanberger is running for governor next year and left this seat open. Resistlib catnip candidate Eugene Vindman won the primary and is flush with cash. As a reminder, the Vindman twins became famous for standing up to Trump during the 1st impeachment. His opponent, Derrick Anderson, is a Green Beret which makes it a tricky race. I will write about this contest next week!

DONATE TO EUGENE VINDMAN

These are the endangered incumbents for the Mid-Atlantic region, plus a few strong challengers. We need to win as many of these districts as possible to have a robust majority in the House of Representatives. There is one important Senate race in this region, although keep an eye on the Maryland Senate race as well. May our nominees have luck in their races!