{
  "id": 12641688,
  "title": "The top House sleeper races to watch, according to the pros",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/the-top-house-sleeper-races-to-watch-according-to-the-pros",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-07T14:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "POLITICO",
    "slug": "politico",
    "url": "https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/07/what-house-democrats-republicans-say-are-their-sleeper-races-01109631"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Four under-the-radar House races could determine the fate of the Republican majority. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) have identified these battlegrounds where their underdog candidates have a strong chance of flipping seats.\n\nDemocrats are optimistic about flipping Colorado's 5th Congressional District (CO-05), which has been trending their way due to demographic shifts, including younger and Hispanic populations, and President Trump's unpopularity. In Iowa's 2nd Congressional District (IA-02), Democrats hope Rep. Lindsay James can capitalize on frustrations with beef imports, rising gas prices, and the popularity of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand.\n\nIn Kentucky's 6th Congressional District (KY-06), Democrats plan to support former federal prosecutor Zach Dembo, who has a five-point lead over Republican Rep. Andy Barr, thanks to Gov. Andy Beshear's efforts. Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District (WI-01) is also in play, with emergency room nurse Mitchell Berman presenting a stark contrast to Republican Rep. Bryan Steil, who is an attorney and former plastics manufacturing executive.\n\nNew Mexico's 2nd Congressional District (NM-02) features Republican Greg Cunningham, a tattooed, motorcycle-driving Marine vet and ex-cop who is using his unique background to appeal to Latino voters. Meanwhile, New York's 3rd Congressional District (NY-03) is seeing Republican former state Assemblymember Mike LiPetri's campaign boosted by a $6 million investment from the MAGA Inc.-affiliated No Going Back PAC and additional support from the NRCC.\n\nArizona's 1st Congressional District (AZ-01) presents another opportunity, as the DCCC's preferred candidate lost the primary, opening the door for the GOP to hold the seat. The GOP has nominated Jay Feely, a former Arizona Cardinals kicker and NFL commentator, whose resume could give him the edge. Finally, Nevada's 3rd Congressional District (NV-03) is seeing Republican Marty O'Donnell, a composer for the video game Halo, invest $3 million in his bid to flip the district held by Democratic Rep. Susie Lee.",
  "summary": "Top officials with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and National Republican Congressional Committee dished on their four picks to watch to see if they're having a good election night.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Hill",
        "title": "Hillary Clinton unveils first endorsement in House, Senate midterm races",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/hillary-clinton-unveils-first-endorsement-in-house-senate-midterm",
        "published": "2026-10-07T17:57:36.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}