The main campaign arm for House Republicans is adding Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) to its list of targets for the 2024 cycle after initially viewing his seat as likely Democratic.
The National Republican Congressional Committee expanded its list of targets a month after Cuellar was indicted on federal bribery charges. The indictment has put Cuellar in the hot seat among Republicans, who now consider him a prime target to flip his seat and expand their slim majority next year.
“Between open seats, indictments, a border crisis, and a stagnant economy, Democrats are retreating and Republicans are charging forward to press our advantage,” Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC), NRCC chairman, said in a statement. “The NRCC will force Democrats to answer for their failures to make people’s lives better from Texas to New Hampshire to my home state of North Carolina — that’s how we will grow our majority.”
The update comes after Cuellar and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, were indicted on 14 charges each by the federal government for allegedly accepting approximately $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijan government-controlled oil and gas company, as well as a bank in Mexico.
Henry Cuellar has denied any wrongdoing, decrying the charges as being politically motivated. However, the House Ethics Committee has since announced its own investigation into the matter separate from the inquiry being led by the Justice Department.
Nevertheless, Henry Cuellar has maintained he would not drop his reelection bid and has expressed confidence in his victory.
“I look forward to a strong victory in November. My constituents know my work, and the results speak for themselves. That’s why I was reelected by an overwhelming margin with support from Democrats, Republicans, and Independents,” he said in a statement to Axios. “South Texas voters couldn’t care less who is or isn’t an NRCC target. My constituents just want results.”
Henry Cuellar is set to face Republican candidate Jay Furman, who won a runoff election last week to secure the GOP nomination. The race is rated “Lean Democrat” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
The NRCC also added two other House districts to its list of targets, including the seats held by Rep. Annie Kuster (D-NH) and Rep. Kathy Manning (D-NC). Both are not running for reelection next year.
The three additions bring the NRCC’s target list to a total of 40 seats, which include Democrats who won their districts by slim margins in 2022 despite being some of the most expensive races in the midterm election cycle. Republicans view those seats as the most vulnerable to flip come November.
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All 435 seats are up for grabs in 2024 as Republicans seek to hold their slim majority in the lower chamber. Of these, 42 are considered competitive, with most of those held by Democrats compared to Republicans, giving the GOP a slight advantage as it prepares for the next election cycle.
However, of the 42 competitive seats, 18 are held by Republicans in districts that voted for President Joe Biden in 2020, compared to just five Democrats who must defend their seats in districts carried by former President Donald Trump. That means there are just enough vulnerable GOP-held seats to keep things competitive heading into the next election cycle.