Facing Longer Odds, Democrats Shift Funds

Ad Spending Pulled From Congressional Races Where Hopes Fade in Favor of Boosting Vulnerable Incumbents, Open Contests.

House Democrats are pulling ad money from 11 congressional races where hopes of victory are dimming, including several in Michigan, California and New York, and shifting it to a half-dozen contests where party leaders want to protect vulnerable incumbents or see solid odds of winning, including contests in Minnesota and Illinois.

The move is another sign that Republicans are poised to strengthen their House majority.

Rep. Steve Israel (D., N.Y.), who leads the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the party’s House campaign arm, this week called the midterm elections an “incredibly difficult environment” for Democrats.

“For every five polls that look good for Republicans, you get one that looks good for Democrats. Democratic optimism has shifted from a macro level at the beginning of the cycle to a micro level at this point,” said Nathan Gonzales, deputy editor of the nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report.

“The House? We’ll probably lose eight, 10 seats,’’ Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe of Virginia, who once led the Democratic National Committee, said Wednesday in an interview.

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