Jeffries Kicks Off 100 Days to Midterms07/27 06:12

   House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries on Sunday unveiled the party's 
Fighting for an Affordable America agenda, as he kicked off 100 days until the 
midterm elections and works to focus voter attention ahead of November.

   BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) -- The stage is in battleground Pennsylvania. The stakes 
are control of the House.

   House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries on Sunday unveiled the party's 
Fighting for an Affordable America agenda, as he kicked off 100 days until the 
midterm elections and works to focus voter attention ahead of November.

   In Pennsylvania's 7th District, tucked in the Lehigh Valley, Jeffries and 
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential 
candidate, rallied support at a steelworkers' union hall for Bob Brooks, a 
retired firefighter trying to unseat the incumbent Republican congressman as 
Democrats reach for the House majority.

   Jeffries, D-N.Y., said Democrats were focused on restoring healthcare cuts, 
bringing the cost of living down and ending the war in Iran to beat Republicans 
and hold President Donald Trump accountable. The united front on Sunday comes 
as Democrats have fought among themselves in primaries across the country this 
year.

   "When you put us back in charge of the United States House of 
Representatives, you'll get a Congress that speaks up for everyday Americans 
and a Congress that stands up to an out-of-control president," he said.

   Down the road, Brooks' rival, freshman GOP Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, is launching 
his own 100-day-out event.

   It's a symbolic start to a campaign season that's been well underway for 
much of a tumultuous year that's included partisan redistricting battles, 
contentious primaries in both parties and weighty Supreme Court rulings on 
campaign finance.

   Midterm elections are often a referendum on the president

   Midterm elections are often a referendum on the party in power, and the 
contests are set against the second term of Trump, whose military action 
against Iran and economic policies backed by the Republican majority in 
Congress are reshaping the political landscape.

   "We gotta win the midterms," Trump said during a visit last month to a Mack 
Truck plant in the district, where he promoted Mackenzie's candidacy.

   Trump has made a number of visits to competitive states as GOP candidates 
rely on the power of the presidency to propel their campaigns. Last week he was 
in Georgia, a key state with a marquee Senate race, and he has a trip to 
battleground Michigan coming up.

   While the president voices support for rank-and-file Republicans during his 
rallies, he also devotes much of his time on stage to a wide range of issues, 
including the U.S.-Mexico border, opposing transgender rights and criticizing 
judges.

   Republicans are hoping the president's signature legislation, the One Big 
Beautiful Bill Act of tax breaks and spending cuts, along with a measure the 
House passed recently aiming to limit lawmaker stock trading, will buoy them 
with voters.

   But they are up against a historical trend that sees the president's party 
lose seats in midterm elections and are confronting the unpopularity of the war 
with Iran.

   Democrats are aiming to seize on voter disapproval of the war and refocus 
attention back to kitchen table issues like higher costs and gas prices to 
propel them to wins in the narrowly divided House.

   A few seats will determine control of the House

   Even though 435 House seats are being contested this fall, control of the 
House is often determined by just a handful of competitive districts. Fewer 
than 20 seats are among the most watched, what analysts call genuine toss-ups.

   Pennsylvania's 7th District is a key battleground along with contests 
elsewhere in the state, reflecting significant political weight not just as a 
presidential swing state but as the pathway to a House majority. Democrats are 
also targeting House contests in Pennsylvania's 1st, 8th and 10th districts -- 
all seats controlled by Republicans.

   Shapiro, who is seeking a second term this year as well, has supported 
Democratic candidates in the contested seats, wagering some of his own 
political capital. He acknowledged the state's centrality to winning the House, 
while alluding to its central role in presidential elections as well.

   "We are, of course, the swingiest swing state," he said.

   He added: "We will do our part to carry forward the goodness and the decency 
that defines Pennsylvania and put an end to the chaos and cruelty and the 
corruption that exists in Washington."

   House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is preparing to embark on his own 
cross-country trip to fundraise for the GOP and stump for Republican candidates 
as he works to retain his majority.

   Republicans have a cash edge over Democrats in the race for House control. A 
question hovering over the election is how the Supreme Court's June ruling 
affecting campaign finance could play out, with national parties now able to 
make direct contributions to candidate campaigns.