The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is adding five more candidates to its “Red to Blue” program for top recruits, including Maine State Auditor Matt Dunlap, who defeated the group’s preferred candidate in a primary earlier this year. The other four candidates are running in Republican-held districts that backed Donald Trump by double digits in 2024, a sign of how broad Democrats believe this fall’s House battleground has become. Dunlap is running for Maine’s 2nd District, where Democratic incumbent Jared Golden is not seeking reelection. The other additions are Army veteran Leela Gray, who won the Democratic nod Tuesday to challenge GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna in Florida’s 13th District; former federal prosecutor Zach Dembo, who is running for Kentucky's open 6th District; Navy veteran Nancy Lacore, who's seeking South Carolina’s open 1st District; and former Rep. Tom Perriello, who is challenging Republican John McGuire in Virginia’s 5th District. “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 Suzan DelBene said in a statement Thursday. The latest additions bring to 37 the number of Democrats in the “Red to Blue” program, which comes with additional resources for the candidates looking to flip GOP-held seats. Dunlap won his Democratic primary in June, finishing ahead of DCCC-endorsed state Sen. Joe Baldacci after Maine’s ranked choice voting system kicked in. Until Thursday, the House Democratic campaign arm had held off on naming him to the program, even as it added other candidates who had defeated opponents backed by the committee. Dunlap faces a challenging fight to keep Maine’s sprawling 2nd District in Democratic hands. Republicans, who have coalesced around former Gov. Paul LePage, view the seat as a prime pickup opportunity, given that Trump carried it in all three of his elections. Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the race Likely Republican. The other four races could be similarly challenging for Democrats. Inside Elections rates the race for Florida’s 13th District as Likely Republican. The contests in Kentucky, South Carolina and Virginia are all currently rated Solid Republican.
