Democratic group releases 2024 state legislature target list
The group that works to elect Democrats to state legislatures across the country announced Wednesday that it will target state Houses in Michigan, Minnesota and Pennsylvania in 2024 as it seeks to protect its Democratic majorities there.
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) said in a memo that it has also identified potential flip opportunities in the state House and state Senate in both Arizona and New Hampshire, in addition to the state Senate in Pennsylvania.
States such as Arizona, Pennsylvania and Michigan will be major battlegrounds this year for the presidential race — which appears likely to feature a rematch between President Biden and former President Trump, the GOP frontrunner — as well as key U.S. Senate matches.
Democrats are hoping that increased turnout in the presidential election year will give them a boost as both parties battle for control of state legislatures. Republicans currently hold an advantage at the state level, controlling 57 chambers to Democrats’ 41, according to Ballotpedia.
In addition to protecting current majorities, the DLCC is seeking to grow Democrats’ numbers in GOP-led legislatures, including the Georgia state House, the Kansas state House and state Senate, North Carolina state House and state Senate, and both chambers in Wisconsin’s state Capitol.
The group noted, however, that several redistricting battles playing out in Georgia and Wisconsin could impact how the DLCC considers them.
The memo noted that the group already pledged initial funding in a slew of battleground states last month: $82,000 in Michigan, $70,000 in Arizona, $50,000 in New Hampshire, $30,000 in Pennsylvania, $24,000 in Wisconsin and $15,000 in North Carolina.
“The DLCC has raised over $21 million so far this cycle, a record amount for our organization and we experienced four consecutive quarters of growth, despite negative industry trends affecting many of our peer organizations. With newfound attention on this level of the ballot, the DLCC plans to harness this energy and execute our roadmap strategy laid out in this memo,” DLCC President Heather Williams said in a statement.
The DLCC memo comes as Democrats have outperformed expectations during special elections and during key state legislative races, including in Virginia and New Jersey in 2023. Democrats kept the state Senate while flipping the state House in Virginia, while New Jersey Democrats also maintained control in the state Capitol.
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