Republican Party Targets Four California Democrats in 2018

Targeted California Democrats (Associated Press)
Associated Press

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has named four Democratic California congressmen it plans to target and defeat in next year’s midterm elections.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the NRCC’s “top offensive targets” are Reps. Ami Bera (D-Elk Grove, 7th district), Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara, 24th district), Scott Peters (D-San Diego, 52nd district) and Raul Ruiz (D-Palm Springs, 36th district).

Bera was barely able to secure his seat in the district’s expensive race against Republican candidate Sheriff Scott Jones last year. He beat Jones by just over 6,000 votes, or approximately three percentage points.

The Times notes that Carbajal, 52, a freshman congressman, won his seat by six points against Republican challenger Justin Fareed, 28. He reportedly started off the 2018 cycle with just over $52,000 in his war chest. Democrats held an eight-point advantage over Republicans in Carbajal’s district before the election.

The Times also reported last month that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee had released a list of seven California Republicans they are planning to target , including Reps. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock, 10th district), David Valadao (R-Hanford, 21st district), Steve Knight (R-Palmdale, 25th district), House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-Fullerton, 39th district), Mimi Walters (R-Irvine, 45th district), Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa, 48th district) and Darrell Issa (R-Vista, 49th district).

Clinton also carried the districts listed above during the general election.

Among the Republicans targeted by the Democrats, Reps. Issa, and Denham won re-election against their challengers by the smallest margins. Issa was able to secure his seat by just 1,621 votes against Democrat Douglas Applegate. Denham beat Democrat Michael Eggman by 8,201 votes. Applegate has announced he plans to run against Issa again in 2018.

According to the Times, Denham, Issa and Valadao were also among the top spenders in California on a per-vote basis in the November election, spending well above $30 per each vote they received.

Follow Adelle Nazarian on Twitter and Periscope @AdelleNaz

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