CQ Releases Race Ratings Report for 2010 House Elections
Democrats’ majority looks secure, but aggressive agenda spurs GOP’s hopes for gains
Washington, D.C. (July 28, 2009) — Congressional Quarterly Inc., the nation’s premier provider of news, analysis and information on Congress, politics and public policy, today released its ratings for the 2010 House elections. The report shows that the Democrats appear secure in the majority they built with big gains in the 2006 and 2008 elections, but must defend against losses as the Republicans stage an aggressive effort to regain some of the lost ground.
House Republicans hope to initiate a political resurgence in 2010. These will be the first congressional elections since President Barack Obama took office, and history indicates that the party holding the White House typically loses seats in the first midterm election of a new presidency. GOP strategists think they have ammunition with concerns many voters have voiced about Obama’s ambitious agenda.
Of the 100 races rated by CQ as highly to mildly competitive, 59 are for seats currently held by Democrats and 41 are for seats held by Republicans. But that doesn’t guarantee Republican gains, as the Democrats have created a formidable House campaign operation and are targeting GOP seats that appear vulnerable. In fact, the only three contests in which CQ Politics rates an advantage to the challenging party are for seats now held by Republicans and targeted by Democrats.
The race ratings can be viewed via the CQ Election Map at http://innovation.cqpolitics.com/atlas/house2010_rr. This interactive map includes:
- A balance of power scorecard, showing the projected members of each party in the second session of the 111th Congress.
- 2008 House and Presidential election results by district.
- In-depth analysis for all of the 100 competitive races (those rated Republican Favored, Democrat Favored, Leans Republican, Leans Democratic, or Toss-up).
- Links to race pages, which provide detailed district information, including demographics and archived election history.
The CQ Race Ratings
An initial CQ Politics analysis of the 435 congressional races reveals that the House Democratic majority appears secure but that more opportunities exist for Republicans to expand their numbers than for Democrats to augment their significant majority.
- To review or link to the entire report, visit CQ Politics: http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000003177606.
- To review or link to hot House races, visit: http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=ratings-house.
- To review or link to hot Senate races, visit: http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=ratings-senate.
CQ Politics also published an update on the 2010 Senate campaign, with the conclusion that the playing field is currently even between the majority Democrats and minority Republicans. This story can be viewed at http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000003177607.
About Congressional Quarterly Inc.
With more than 160 reporters, editors and researchers covering Capitol Hill and Washington, CQ keeps policy professionals and opinion leaders updated in print and online on a weekly, daily and real-time basis. CQ’s award-winning product line includes: CQ Weekly, CQ Today, CQ.com, CQ Politics, CQ Homeland Security, CQ Budget Tracker, CQ HealthBeat, CQ MoneyLine, CQ Transcripts and CQ StateTrack. Founded in 1945, CQ has a rich history of providing comprehensive, credible and objective information on Congress, politics and public policy. For more information, visit www.cq.com or www.cqpolitics.com.