Ben Ray Lujan, DCCC chair, ‘confident’ Democrats will win House control in midterm elections

Rep. Ben Ray Lujan on Sunday said he’s “confident” that his Democrats will win back the House majority on Election Day, citing voter energy and the caliber of his side’s candidates.

But his Republican opposite number said the New Mexico Democrat was dreaming, pointing to a roaring economy in the homestretch to the bitterly fought mid-terms. Democrats need to flip 24 seats to retake the majority they lost in 2010, when a tea party-inspired wave delivered President Obama’s party a shellacking.

Mr. Lujan, the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, says his side is poised to spark a wave of its own Nov. 6. He said the GOP is weak on health reform and hasn’t delivered the type of economic gains that trickle down to working-class voters.

“We built our strategy around our candidates,” he told “Fox News Sunday.” “Incredible men and women with records of service, many of who have served our country in the U.S. military. Former CIA officers, FBI agents who have committed their lives to keeping our country safe. And they’re connecting with the American people talking about their personal stories.”

His Republican counterpart, Rep. Steve Stivers of Ohio, said Mr. Lujan should prepare for disappointment.

Citing a string of special-election victories and economic gains, he said the GOP is poised to defy the odds despite Mr. Trump’s poor approval rating and historical patterns that suggest the White House’s party loses in the mid-terms.

“We actually have an economy where we have 4 percent economic growth. We have unemployment at 3.7 percent. We have the highest consumer confidence we’ve ever had,” Mr. Stivers told Fox. “And we’ve lifted up all subgroups, including record low unemployment among African-Americans and 18 to 25 year olds. So I think people will reward us for what we’ve done.”

But Mr. Lujan said far too many middle-class families aren’t seeing those gains in terms of higher wages, even as the cost of living rises.

“My Republican colleagues this year do not have a voting record to run on that has actually prioritized hard-working middle-class families,” he said.

Democrats are eying a load of pickups in a series of suburban districts that Hillary Clinton won in 2016 but, for the moment, are represented by centrist Republicans.

Their odds of retaking the Senate are far longer, since 10 Democratic incumbents face re-election in states Mr. Trump won two years ago, while Republicans are only defending nine seats total. Of those nine GOP-held seats, at most four have competitive races and all have been breaking Republican in recent weeks.

As for Democratic incumbents, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota has fallen behind Republican Rep. Kevin Cramer by double digits in the latest polling, while Republican challenger Mike Braun cited a CBS News poll on Sunday that shows him leading Sen. Joe Donnelly, Indiana Democrat, 46 percent to 43 percent.

Yet Sen. Joe Manchin III, West Virginia Democrat, is holding a double-digit lead over state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, though other polls have the race still tight.

President Trump’s campaign arm said the president will hold a Make America Great Again rally in Huntington, West Virginia, on Friday to rally supporters and urge them to vote for Mr. Morrisey.

“President Trump looks forward to visiting with West Virginia patriots to discuss our booming economy, free market solutions for healthcare, and the need for a border wall to stem the tide of illegal immigrants,” said Michael Glassner, chief operating officer for Donald J. Trump for President, Inc.