Battleground House Matchups to Be Set in New York, Colorado

WASHINGTON (CQ-Roll Call/TNS)— House primaries Tuesday will set matchups for three districts on the November battleground, as Democrats decide who will take on a pair of New York freshmen while Republicans pick a challenger to a freshman in Colorado.

In New York, Rep. Brandon Williams is one of Democrats’ top targets this year, after the upstate 22nd District got bluer in off-year redistricting. On Tuesday, Democratic voters will pick between state Sen. John Mannion and Dewitt Town Councilor Sarah Klee Hood to challenge Williams.

Mannion has emphasized his background as a teacher. Klee Hood has spoken about women’s rights.

Klee Hood had a cash advantage over Mannion. She had $279,000 on hand as of June 5, compared with his $206,000. Whoever wins the primary will start the race trailing Williams, who doesn’t face a primary challenger and had $1 million on hand. 

But outside groups have tried to help Mannion make up the difference. He’s benefited from $302,000 in independent expenditures, including from the teachers unions’ NEA Advocacy Fund and AFT Solidarity. 

Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the race as Tilt Democratic.

In New York’s 1st District, Nancy Goroff, a former chemistry professor, faces John Avlon, a former CNN political analyst and co-founder of the pragmatist group No Labels, in the Democratic primary to challenge Rep. Nick LaLota.

Goroff has partially self-funded her campaign. She raised $2.3 million, including $1.2 million of her own money, as of June 5 and had $595,000 on hand for the final weeks of the campaign. Avlon had raised $1.8 million and had $585,000 on hand as of June 5.

Welcome PAC, a group that works to elect what it calls moderate Democrats, spent $1.6 million to boost Avlon’s campaign, while 314 Action Fund, which says it works to elect more scientists to Congress, spent $192,000 to support Goroff and oppose Avlon. 

Goroff previously lost a race in the 1st District to former Rep. Lee Zeldin in 2020. Inside Elections rates the race as Lean Republican. 

Republicans in Colorado’s newest congressional district will nominate a challenger to take on Democratic Rep. Yadira Caraveo.

The GOP contest in the 8th District features state Rep. Gabe Evans and former state Rep. Janak Joshi.

Evans took in more than $646,000 from contributors through June 5, whereas the $189,000 that Joshi reported raising included $153,000 from his own pocket. Evans also had $225,000 on hand to Joshi’s $82,000 for the campaign’s final weeks, but Joshi loaned his campaign an additional $25,000 on June 14.

Caraveo, meanwhile, had $2.3 million in her campaign account.

Outside groups have already shown their interest in the race, however. Americans for Prosperity Action, a conservative super PAC, spent $330,000 in support of Evans.

The race is rated a Toss-up by Inside Elections; President Joe Biden won the district in 2020 by 4.4 percentage points.