Republicans are looking to expand the battleground map ahead of the November midterms, eyeing gubernatorial, Senate and House races outside of traditional swing states in the middle of a favorable political atmosphere.
Republicans boast that gubernatorial races in New Mexico and Connecticut, Senate races in Colorado and Washington state, and House races in blue districts are now in play, pointing to President Biden’s low approval ratings and Democratic hurdles on issues like inflation and mask and vaccine mandates.
The increased involvement in those blue-tinted states marks an ambitious ploy by the GOP to compete in places where it has struggled in recent cycles — and winning statewide races there could still very well be out of reach. But after strong showings in New Jersey’s and Virginia’s gubernatorial races last year, combined with continued grumblings with the White House, Republicans are feeling their oats beyond just swing states.
“This year, the first midterm after a president’s been elected with both houses of Congress, it sets up really well,” said one GOP strategist with experience working in Colorado. “And there’s been nothing, literally nothing to date, that looks to disrupt a really, really positive environment for candidates running in red, purple and blue areas. That’s why the map has a really huge opportunity to stretch.”
