Our Priority House Districts
The Cook Political Report, a respected political analysis website, regularly assesses the competitiveness of critical House races across the country that will determine control of the House. At Activate America, we are focused on uplifting Democrats in these races to give Democrats the greatest opportunity possible to retake Congress.
Learn more about the candidates we are supporting and opposing, then join us for an action soon. This year, we have a golden opportunity to elect leaders who will put people first.
Click on the states to read more about our priority House race.
Arizona
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An election denier who voted to overturn the presidential election AFTER the deadly insurrection on the U.S. Capitol, Rep. David Schweikert has never been afraid to let his MAGA extremist flag fly. Now, he’s running for Governor, making the competitive AZ-01 election wide open.
About AZ-01:
PVI: R+2
2024 House Results: David Schweikert (R) 51.9% v. Amish Shah (D) 48.1%
2024 Trump v. Harris: Donald Trump (R) 51.1% v. Kamala Harris (D) 48.0%
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Rep. Juan Ciscomani missed his calling as a ventriloquist, because he’s a master of talking out of both sides of his mouth. He voted to kick 13 million Americans off of their health care, even after signing a letter acknowledging that “Medicaid [is] expected to bear the brunt of these reductions.” But he also claims that protecting Medicaid is his top priority. You can’t have it both ways, Congressman.
1 in 4 of his constituents depend on Medicaid to stay healthy, and they deserve a Congressmember who will vote to save Medicaid, not destroy it.
About AZ-06:
PVI: EVEN
2024 House Results: Juan Ciscomani (R) 50.0% v. Kirsten Engel (D) 47.5%
2024 Trump v. Harris: Donald Trump (R) 49.8% v. Kamala Harris (D) 49.1%
California
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Rep. David Valadao represents more Medicaid recipients (68% of CA-22 residents) than any other Member of Congress.
You’d think he’d be laser-focused on protecting their health care. You’d be wrong. Valadao voted to gut Medicaid and kick 13 million Americans off of their health care, putting his loyalty to Trump above the needs of his constituents.
Luckily, this ailment has a remedy: vote him out. CA-22 is the most Democratic district represented by a Republican, and the great people of this Central Valley district deserve a representative who will fight for them.
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The last time Rep. Darrell Issa represented a competitive district, he ditched his constituents and ran elsewhere. With the successful passage of Prop 50, he once again faces a competitive election, and his MAGA extremist ways won’t do him any favors.
Issa has repeatedly voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act without any plan to replace it, and he’s rabidly opposed to abortion rights. We’ll make sure his new constituents know how out of touch Issa is.
Colorado
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When Rep. Gabe Evans voted to gut Medicaid, he wanted you to believe it won’t cut benefits, only “fraud, waste, and abuse.” Hogwash. One in four people in CO-8 depend on Medicaid to stay healthy, and he knows quite well that his actions will lead to 13 million Americans losing their health care.
After DOGE made sweeping cuts to the VA, costing many veterans their jobs, Evans also denied that there would be any impact to VA services. He can deny reality all he wants; we’ll make sure CO-8 voters know the truth.
Iowa
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799 votes. That’s what separated Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks from her Democratic challenger in 2024.
Representing such a highly contested swing district, you’d think she would be focused on being a bipartisan bridgebuilder and defending her constituents from the worst excesses of the Trump Administration. Instead, she’d been a party line vote for the President, joining her Republican colleagues in decimating Medicaid and turning a blind eye to devastating cuts to programs that sustain Iowa family farmers and feed Iowa students.
About IA-01:
PVI: R+4
2024 House Results: Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R) 50.1% v. Christina Bohannan (D) 49.9%
2024 Trump v. Harris: Donald Trump (R) 53.5% v. Kamala Harris (D) 45.0%
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As the Trump Administration fires veterans left and right and causes long delays at the VA as part of its DOGE purge, Rep. Zach Nunn has stood by and said nothing.
It’s the standard operating procedure for Nunn: profess bipartisan bona fides while rubberstamping everything Trump wants. Iowa families deserve champions in Washington who will protect the state, but Nunn is nowhere to be found.
About IA-03:
PVI: R+2
2024 House Results: Zach Nunn (R) 51.9% v. Lanon Baccam (D) 48.1%
2024 Trump v. Harris: Donald Trump (R) 51.6% v. Kamala Harris (D) 47.1%
Maine
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ME-02 was one of the most difficult seats for Democrats to hold even before Congressman Jared Golden’s retirement. Now that it is an open seat, the road ahead is fraught but achievable. Multiple Democrats have entered the fray, while Donald Trump has endorsed Maine’s wacky former Governor Paul LePage. We’ll work to boost Democratic turnout in ME-02 and elevate the winner of the Democratic primary.
About ME-02:
PVI: R+4
2024 House Results: Jared Golden (D) 50.2% v. Austin Theriault (R) 49.7%
2024 Trump v. Harris: Donald Trump (R) 53.5% v. Kamala Harris (D) 44.5%
Michigan
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Voters in Michigan’s 7th District have learned to expect little from Rep. Tom Barrett, but the least he could do is host a town hall to explain why he refuses to stand up to the Trump Administration when it seeks to decimate the Social Security Administration, VA, and Department of Education. Despite repeated calls from his constituents to host an in-person town hall, Barrett has refused to schedule one. Why is he hiding from his constituents?
About MI-07:
PVI: EVEN
2024 House Results: Tom Barrett (R) 50.3% v. Curtis Hertel (D) 46.6%
2024 Trump v. Harris: Donald Trump (R) 49.9% v. Kamala Harris (D) 48.6%
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As Trump imposes capricious tariffs on steel, aluminum, and other goods essential to the U.S. car industry, you’d think the representative of Michigan’s 10th District would be sounding the alarm. The car industry has a rich history in MI-10, but when repeatedly pressed on the tariffs, Rep. John James simply deflected, denying the reality that they are hurting his constituents. Now that he’s hoping to fail upward in a bid for Governor, we have an opportunity to elect a Member of Congress who isn’t trying to put the U.S. economy in reverse.
About MI-10:
PVI: R+3
2024 House Results: John James (R) 51.1% v. Carl Marlinga (D) 45.0%
2024 Trump v. Harris: Donald Trump (R) 52.2% v. Kamala Harris (D) 45.7%
Nebraska
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Rep. Don Bacon wanted us to think he was a maverick, but he voted to take away health care from more than 13 million Americans with the rest of the Republican Caucus. With his decision to retire from Congress in 2026, we can be confident that whoever the Republicans elevate to replace him will be even worse.
Thanks to Bacon’s retirement, Nebraska’s 2nd District has vaulted to the poll position as our best flip opportunity in the House this election cycle. It’s an open seat in a district that Kamala Harris won in 2024, and as of this writing, it’s the only Republican-held House seat in the country that the Cook Political Report considers to be leaning Democratic.
About NE-02:
PVI: D+3
2024 House Results: Don Bacon (R) 50.9% v. Tony Vargas (D) 49.1%
2024 Trump v. Harris: Kamala Harris (D) 51.6% v. Donald Trump (R) 47.0%
New Jersey
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New Jersey receives $1.2 billion every year from the Department of Education. With the Trump Administration working to abolish the department, New Jersey students deserve champions in Congress who will protect them.
Residents of NJ-07 have repeatedly asked Tom Kean, Jr. to host a town hall to explain why he’s silent on the Department of Education cuts and other disastrous Trump Administration policies like the tariffs and freezing Alzheimer’s and cancer research. We’ll update you if Kean stops hiding from his constituents.
About NJ-07:
PVI: EVEN
2024 House Results: Thomas Kean, Jr. (R) 51.7% v. Sue Altman (D) 46.3%
2024 Trump v. Harris: Donald Trump (R) 49.6% v. Kamala Harris (D) 48.5%
New York
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The election of Democratic Congresswoman Laura Gillen was a huge success for Activate America and other partner organizations in the 2024 election. She defeated Republican Congressman Anthony D’Esposito by 2.3 points, ensuring that Long Island residents had a champion for affordability and prosperity fighting for them. In Congress, she has defended health care subsidies in the Affordable Care Act and worked with a bipartisan coalition to permanently fix the World Trade Center Health Program. She faces a competitive election this year, and we’re going to do everything in our power to help her win.
About NY-04:
PVI: D+2
2024 House Results: Laura Gilen (D) 51.1% v. Anthony D'Esposito (R) 48.9%
2024 Trump v. Harris: Kamala Harris (D) 50.0% v. Donald Trump (R) 48.8%
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They say if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life, and luckily for Rep. Mike Lawler, he loves depriving women of their reproductive rights.
While a member of the New York State Legislature, Lawler voted against protecting doctors who provide reproductive care and against enshrining abortion rights into the State Constitution. He even praised the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Lawler likes to present himself as a bipartisan leader, but scratch the surface, and his MAGA extremism is easy to find.
About NY-17:
PVI: D+1
2024 House Results: Mike Lawler (R) 52.2% v. Mondaire Jones (D) 45.8%
2024 Trump v. Harris: Kamala Harris (D) 49.9% v. Donald Trump (R) 49.3%
North Carolina
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A former U.S. Air Force officer and educator, Congressman Don Davis has long served the people of North Carolina as a State Senator and more recently as a Member of Congress. After winning a competitive election for this seat, Republicans redrew the lines to gerrymander him out, but he’s staying in the fray, and he can win with our help. That’s good news for the people of Eastern North Carolina. Davis has fought for health care affordability and shipbuilding funding and secured more than $300 million in investments for the region. We’ll work to help him keep up the good work.
Ohio
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Previously a Cincinnati City Councilman and advocate for early learning, Rep. Greg Landsman defeated a 13-term Republican incumbent in 2022. This impressive feat shocked the Republican Party in Ohio, and this year, they want to get even. They’ve redrawn OH-01 to be more MAGA-friendly, but Landsman has faithfully represented his district, voting to lower health care costs and make record-setting investments in Ohio infrastructure. He’s also authored a package of bills to restore the American Dream; he calls it the Great American Comeback. But first, let’s make sure he comes back to Congress.
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Rep. Marcy Kaptur is a force of nature. Long known as a devoted friend to workers and the labor movement, she has bucked the MAGA tide in Ohio for years, consistently winning in a district where Trump has done well. Ohio Republicans have stacked the deck to defeat her through mid-year redistricting, but if anyone can prevail under these circumstances, it’s Kaptur. We helped her win in 2024, and we’re all in to secure her victory in 2026.
Pennsylvania
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PA-01 is one of only three Republican-held House districts in the country that Kamala Harris won in 2024. Democratic Senator Bob Casey also won in this district in his narrow Senate loss in 2024.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick claims to be independent-minded, but under Trump, he has let his true colors show. He is an anti-choice extremist who has voted for a national abortion band, and he has consistently voted to cut transit funding that will likely force local transit rate hikes. A strong Democratic challenge here could unseat Fitzpatrick, especially as he continues to vote against his constituents’ interests.
About PA-01:
PVI: D+1
2024 House Results: Brian Fitzpatrick (R) 56.4%-Ashley Ehasz (D) 43.6%
2024 Trump v. Harris: Kamala Harris (D) 49.7% v. Donald Trump (R) 49.4%
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The modern Republican Party is no stranger to anti-abortion extremists, but Ryan Mackenzie gives the worst of them a run for their money.
He voted for an abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest and calls himself “100%” anti-abortion. When he’s not busy interfering in health care decisions, he votes against raising the minimum wage, against investing in Pennsylvania’s aging infrastructure, and against enshrining workers’ rights to collectively bargain and join a union into the State Constitution. One thing he voted for: gutting Medicaid and kicking 13 million Americans off their health care.
About PA-07:
PVI: R+1
2024 House Results: Ryan Mackenzie (R) 50.5%-Susan Wild (D) 49.5%
2024 Trump v. Harris: Donald Trump (R) 51.1% v. Kamala Harris (D) 47.9%
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Rep. Rob Bresnahan is really adamant that he opposes gutting Medicaid, yet he voted to do just that.
He wants PA-08 voters to listen to what he says, not what he does. He also claims to support military families and veterans, but he’s remained silent as the Trump Administration imposes huge cuts to the VA and lays off thousands of veterans across the country.
When given the choice between siding with Trump or siding with his constituents, Bresnahan chooses Trump every time.
About PA-08:
PVI: R+4
2024 House Results: Rob Bresnahan (R) 50.8% v. Matt Cartwright (D) 49.2%
2024 Trump v. Harris: Donald Trump (R) 53.8% v. Kamala Harris (D) 45.4%
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Rep. Scott Perry played a central role in the efforts to overturn American democracy after the 2020 election. Among the numerous texts he sent to high-ranking Republican operatives plotting to overthrow the election was one asking the Trump Administration to invalidate the vote in Pennsylvania.
When he’s not busy trying to steal elections, Perry serves as a rubber stamp for the Trump Administration, voting to gut Medicaid and refusing to speak out against massive cuts to the Social Security Administration, VA, and Department of Education.
About PA-10:
PVI: R+3
2024 House Results: Scott Perry (R) 50.6% v. Janelle Stelson (D) 49.4%
2024 Trump v. Harris: Donald Trump (R) 52.0% v. Kamala Harris (D) 46.8%
Texas
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When Trump first launched his scorched earth mid-cycle gerrymandering campaign, he started in Texas, and Congressman Vicente Gonzalez was one of his top targets. The Co-Chair of the Blue Dog Coalition, Gonzalez is no stranger to winning tight elections in South Texas, and Republicans would love to replace him with a MAGA rubber stamp. Gonzalez now faces a considerably more difficult district, but he’s in it to win it, and so are we.
Virginia
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When concerned residents of VA-02 urged Rep. Jen Kiggans to hold a town hall and explain her support for the Trump Administration’s chainsaw approach to cutting critical federal programs like the Department of Education, school breakfast and lunch programs, and the VA, Kiggans responded with an insulting statement that claimed, without a shred of evidence, that they were the same people “now firebombing cars.”
It’s an outrageous accusation. If she actually hosted a town hall in her community to hear from her constituents instead of hiding from them, she would know that.
About VA-02:
PVI: EVEN
2024 House Results: Jen Kiggins (R) 50.8% v. Missy Cotter Smasal (D) 46.9%
2024 Trump v. Harris: Donald Trump (R) 49.5% v. Kamala Harris (D) 49.3%
Washington
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An independent voice for southwest Washington, Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez has skillfully figured out how to win an incredibly difficult district and break through the gridlock to deliver for her constituents. When she first ran for office in 2022, FiveThirtyEight gave her just a 2% chance of winning, but rumors of her defeat were greatly overstated. Since then, she’s delivered 42 important improvements to her district and has worked to lower costs for working Washington families. This is a toss up race, but Perez has proven that she’s up to any political challenge.
About WA-03:
PVI: R+2
2024 House Results: Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D) 51.9% v. Joe Kent (R) 48.1%
2024 Trump v. Harris: Donald Trump (R) 50.3% v. Kamala Harris (D) 47.0%
Wisconsin
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“Every American who is lawfully receiving Medicaid will continue to receive their benefits.” That’s the lie Rep. Derrick Van Orden is going with after voting to gut Medicaid by up to $880 billion.
After a veteran who worked at the VA wrote to Rep. Van Orden concerned about Trump Administration cuts to the VA that are costing many veterans their jobs, Van Orden replied to him, “I will be referring you to DOGE as it seems that at 13:46 on a Monday you should have been working for veterans, not posting trash about your boss, President Trump.”
That veteran would have loved to be working, but he was already fired by Van Orden’s boss, Donald Trump. It’s time to fire Van Orden in 2026.
About WI-03:
PVI: R+3
2024 House Results: Derrick Van Orden (R) 51.4% v. Rebecca Cooke (D) 48.6%
2024 Trump v. Harris: Donald Trump (R) 52.9% v. Kamala Harris (D) 45.5%