House Majority Whip and former NRCC Chairman Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) discussed how Republicans would expand their House majority in an interview with Breitbart News on Tuesday.
Emmer spoke to Breitbart News Washington bureau chief Matthew Boyle at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
In the interview, Emmer, a former chairman of the Republican National Congressional Committee (NRCC), explained how Republicans, under former President Donald Trump’s lead, expanded the Republican majority in the House of Representatives.
He began by explaining that traditionally Democratic voters are becoming increasingly receptive to the Republican message and Republican candidates.
“We have 220 Republicans. Let’s meet people’s expectations. That could change, but traditional Democrats, blacks, Hispanics, Asians, liberal Jews are increasingly listening to the Republican message and the Republican candidate. That transition is going to take time,” Emmer said.
The Minnesota Republican explained that there used to be roughly 85 battleground districts that could swing five points in favor of either Republicans or Democrats depending on the election cycle.
He said there are currently about 51 battleground districts, meaning a House majority would be made up of roughly 230 or more members.
But Emmer said there are a number of seats that Republicans could gain if Trump takes the lead and the electoral environment becomes more favorable.
Emmer cited a number of battleground districts that are likely to swing in Republicans’ favor.
- New York’s 18th Congressional District is represented by Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY). New York City Police Officer Allison Esposito, who is running for lieutenant governor in 2022, won the district by three points in the gubernatorial election two years ago.
- Maine’s 2nd Congressional District is represented by Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), and Emmer said state senator and former NASCAR driver Austin Theriault is a “great fit” for the district.
- Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District is represented by Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.), who Emmer said was “the closest race in the last election.” George Logan lost by 0.4 percentage points in the last election. Emmer said Logan has raised a lot of money in this election and Hayes has done a poor job of serving her constituents.
Emmer emphasized that many of these seats are “Trump seats,” meaning seats won by Trump, including Maine’s 2nd District and Pennsylvania’s 8th District, represented by Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA).
Boyle said even if “a quarter” of those districts were to swing to Republicans, the GOP majority would be strengthened.
“We’re going to increase our numbers,” Emmer said.
Emmer also praised Trump for hosting numerous televised town hall meetings during the midterm elections that helped him flip 15 battleground states.
The Minnesota Republican said Trump has “incredible energy.”
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Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter. Sean Moran 3.
