On the eve of Election Day, the political sphere is gearing up to come to terms with the next president but also the composition of the U.S. Congress, as it will largely determine the next administration's ability to carry out its policies for at least the next two years.
The outcome is still uncertain both in the Upper and Lower House. In the latter, nonpartisan forecaster The Cook Political Report claims 22 races are considered a "toss-up." 10 of them are in districts where Democratic incumbents are at risk, the remaining 12 in Republican seats.
Each race will play a key role in potentially tipping the scale, as Republicans currently hold 220 seats and Democrats 212. The remaining 3 are vacant. Most of the races will take place in different states, with only Pennsylvania holding two of them. The remaining ones will take place in places like Arkansas, Colorado, Maine, Michigan and North Carolina, as well as Virginia and Washington.
One of the races will take place in Pennsylvania's 8th district, where U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright and GOP challenger Rob Bresnahan are tussling in an expensive race.
Cartwright, a Representative seeking his fourth term in the House, is comfortably leading in the polls, with the latest survey by Noble Predictive Insights from Oct. 23-25 showing him leading the race at 50% to 43%. However, the Cook Political Report still rates this race as a toss up.
Cartwright was first elected to the U.S. House in 2012, defeating incumbent Tim Holden in the Democratic primary. In 2020 and 2022, Cartwright defeated Jim Bognet (R), winning 51.8%-48.2% and 51.2%-48.8%, respectively.
Bresnahan, on the other hand, is new to politics, previously joining his grandfather's electrical contracting company as chief financial officer, then becoming chief executive officer after graduating from college. His relative lack of name recognition could actually be an advantage to him, according to Ballotpedia.
The race for Pennsylvania's 8th district, which comprises the northeast region of the state and all of Wayne, Pike and Lackawanna counties, along with portions of Luzerne and Monroe counties, has gathered the attention of household names from both parties, particularly Republicans.
GOP leaders like House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Rep. Burgess Owens, have each visited The Keystone State to campaign for Bresnahan. On the other hand, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is supporting Cartwright's campaign through their Frontline program for vulnerable incumbents.
The other Democrats facing close contests are:
- Mart Peltola (AK-00)
- Yadira Caraveo (CO-08)
- Jared Golden (ME-02)
- Don Davis (NC-01)
- Gabe Vasquez (NM-02)
- Susan Wild (PA-07)
- Abigail Spanberger (VA-07)
- Dan Kildee (MI-08)
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