State-level Democrats are already conceding that they won’t be competitive in several states they had previously identified as targets in the 2022 midterm elections.
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), Democrats’ campaign organization for state legislative races across the country, released a “Path to the Majority” memo Thursday outlining which states they will be targeting most heavily in 2022. Several states, including Arizona and Pennsylvania, are no longer being acknowledged as winnable by the DLCC despite previously being key targets.
📢Big news📢 We just released our #PathToMajority priority states for the 2022 elections!
We’re focused on:
💙Defending our Dem majorities
🌊Making a play for vulnerable GOP majorities
🐘Chipping away at states with big GOP advantagesCheck out our plan:https://t.co/7qI7yHDDJ3
— Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (@DLCC) May 5, 2022
Arizona, Pennsylvania and Georgia are listed in the new memo as states where the DLCC will seek to succeed at “Reversing Republicans’ Structural Advantage,” rather than actually win majorities in the legislature. “Redistricting realities, the political environment, and current legislative margins make these chambers more challenging — but make no mistake, they’re competitive.” the memo reads. “We’re investing to gain ground and if any of these chambers appear more competitive later in the cycle, we’ll make a play for the majority.”
Making a play for the majority was previously on the table in some of these states, though. In a March 2021 strategy memo, the DLCC said Democrats are “on the cusp of a legislative majority” in both chambers in Arizona, and that same memo called the GOP majorities in Pennsylvania “extremely vulnerable.”
“We believe that GOP majorities in states where we will get new maps like Arizona, Michigan, and Pennsylvania are extremely vulnerable,” according to the memo.
Now, with polling showing Democrats facing an uphill climb in this year’s elections, expectations are being lowered. In 2021, DLCC president Jessica Post said 2022 could be a positive environment for the party: “Imagine as we get folks vaccinated, people can travel and see their grandchildren. I think that’s going to create a great environment.”
In the latest memo, the DLCC cites the “political environment” as a reason it likely won’t be able to make a play for the majority in states like Pennsylvania, Arizona and Georgia. (RELATED: Hoyer, Pelosi Endorse Two Different Candidates In MD Gubernatorial Race)
Democrats are also expecting fierce battles to defend their majorities in some solidly blue states. Among the states the DLCC lists as key defensive battlegrounds are Colorado and New Mexico, both of which President Joe Biden won by double-digits in 2020.