National Democratic strategists have set their sights on the congressional seat owned by Washington Republican U.S. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers.
Lisa Brown
Emboldened by wins last week in Virginia and New Jersey, as well as strong early campaign fundraising totals by McMorris challenger Lisa Brown, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced last week it was now including Washington’s 5th district seat in Congress as a target to flip in 2018.
While the designation doesn’t automatically mean national Democrats will start spending cash in the district, it does mean the committee, whose goal is to get Democrats into the House of Representatives, will assist in research and organizing for Brown’s campaign. Among the 91 Congressional contests the committee has identified as winnable next year are the race for the seat vacated by retiring Republican Representative Dave Reichert in Washington’s 8th district, and the seat held by House Speaker Representative Paul Ryan, the Wisconsin Republican with whom McMorris Rodgers shares a close alliance.
McMorris Rodgers has never earned less than 56 percent of the popular vote in a general election in her 12 years in Congress. (Spokesman-Review)
