While new reports suggest that Republicans are likely to retain their majority in the House of Representatives, Democrats are steadfast in their argument that they have a shot at retaking it.
Minority leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Steve Israel have said in the last few months that they believe Democrats could take back the House. Both politicians are active in the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), the campaign and fundraising arm of the the Democratic party.
Rep. Donna Edwards of Maryland lent her voice to the debate Tuesday while appearing on Daily Rundown. Edwards said she didn't think it was a "stretch" for the Democrats to gain the seats they need to make up a majority in the fall.
"I think redistricting was a wash, and I think we're going to do very well," she said. "Every one of these districts is going to be won district by district, not national races...We've got great candidates out there."
Edwards co-chairs the DCCC's Red to Blue program, which lends help—financial and otherwise—to Democratic challengers it supports in contested districts. She was responding to a report by David Wasserman of The Cook Political Report that said Democrats will pick up an extra 5 to 15 seats come fall, not the 25 needed. Washington outlet The Hill also predicted Republicans will maintain control of the House by a similar margin.
The DCCC, though, won the fundraising war last month, saying it raised $6.68 million to the National Republican Congressional Committee's (NRCC) $6 million. The NRCC says it has slightly more total cash on hand, though.