2006 House Races to Watch

45 House Races to Watch [maps]

ARIZONA
8th CD - Southeastern corner of Arizona, open due to retirement of Rep. Jim Kolbe (R).
Former State Rep. Randy Graf (R) faces former State Sen. Gabrielle Giffords (D) and David Nolan (L), the principal founder of the national Libertarian Party.

5th CD - NE Maricopa county including Tempe and Scottsdale.
Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R) faces former Tempe mayor and current state Sen. Harry Mitchell (D).

CALIFORNIA
11th CD - parts of San Joaquin, Alameda, Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties.
Seven-term incumbent Rep. Richard Pombo (R) faces Jerry McNerney (D) for a second time.

COLORADO
7th CD - Denver area; portions of Jefferson, Adams and Arapahoe Counties, open as Rep. Bob Beauprez (R) is running for governor.
Rick O'Donnell (R), the former head of the Colorado Department of Higher Education, will face former state Sen. Ed Perlmutter (D) and Adams-Jefferson County Green Party chair Dave Chandler (G).

4th CD - Eastern Colorado; 16 counties and parts of 2 others.
Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R) faces State Rep. Angie Paccione (D) and Eric Eidsness (Ref.).

CONNECTICUT
2nd CD - the Eastern 40% of the state.
Rep. Rob Simmons (R) faces former state legislator and 2002 candidate Joe Courtney (D).

4th CD - Southwestern tip of the state along Long Island Sound (strong New York influence).
Rep. Christopher Shays (R) faces a re-match with Westport selectwoman Diane Farrell (D). Hedge fund manager Phil Maymin (L) is also competing.

5th CD - Northwestern Connecticut.
Rep. Nancy Johnson (R), first elected to Congress in 1982, faces State Sen. Chris Murphy (D).

FLORIDA
22nd CD - Jupiter and Juno Beach in Palm Beach County to Fort Lauderdale in Broward County.
Rep. E. Clay Shaw (R) is faces a strong challenge from State Sen. Ron Klein (D).

9th CD - Tampa Bay area; parts of Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas counties, open due to retirement of Rep. Mike Bilirakis (R).
Republican nominee State Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R) faces former Hillsborough County Commissioner Phyllis Busansky (D).

13th CD - Sarasota, open as Rep. Katherine Harris (R) is running for U.S. Senate.
Businessman Vern Buchanan (R) faces former bank president Christine Jennings (D).

16th CD - Port Charlotte, Lake Okeechobee, Port St Lucie, open due to the Sept. 29, 2006 resignation of Rep. Mark Foley (R) amid scandal over messages to pages.
Businessman Tim Mahoney (D) is now favored. Republicans named State Rep. Joe Negron, who recently ran unsuccessfully Attorney General, to replace Foley but Foley's name, not Negron's will appear on the ballot.

GEORGIA
12th CD - Eastern GA from Savannah to Athens.
Rep. John Barrow (D) faces former Rep. Max Burns (R), whom he defeated in 2004.

3rd CD - 26 counties and parts of 5 others in Central GA.
Rep. Jim Marshall (D) faces former Rep. Mac Collins (R).

ILLINOIS
8th CD - Northeast corner of the state.
First term Rep. Melissa Bean (D) faces investment banker David McSweeney (R).

6th CD - parts of Cook and Dupage Counties, open due to retirement of Rep. Henry Hyde (R).
State Sen. Peter Roskam (R) is seen as favored over Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth (D).

17th CD - Rock Island, open due to retirement of Rep. Lane Evans (D).
Lane's aide Phil Hare (D) is seen as favored over former TV anchor/reporter Andrea Zelinga (R).

INDIANA
9th CD - Southeastern Indiana along the Ohio River.
Rep. Mike Sodrel (R) faces a rematch from former Rep. Baron Hill (D), the man he defeated in 2004.

8th CD - Western Indiana from Evansville in the South to Warren County in the North.
Rep. John Hostettler (R) faces Vanderburgh County Sheriff Brad Ellsworth (D).

2nd CD - 8 counties and parts of 4 others in Northern Indiana (includes Michigan City, South Bend and Elkhart).
Rep. Chris Chocola (R) faces a rematch from businessman/attorney Joe Donnelly (D).

IOWA
1st CD - Quad Cities, Waterloo and Dubuque, open as Rep. Jim Nussle (R) is running for governor.
Restaurant/hotel entrepreneur Mike Whalen (R) will try to hold the seat against attorney Bruce Braley (D). In 2004 CD 1 went 53% to 46% for Kerry over Bush.

3rd CD - 12 counties in central and central eastern Iowa, including Polk County (Des Moines).
Five-term Rep. Leonard Boswell (D) is facing a strong challenge from State Sen. Jeff Lamberti (R).

KENTUCKY
4th CD - northern counties bordering on Indiana and Ohio.
Freshman Rep. Geoff Davis (R) faces a strong challenge from former Rep. Ken Lucas (D), who served for three terms before opting not to seek re-election in 2004.

LOUISIANA
3rd CD - Southeast Louisiana.
Freshman Rep. Charlie Melancon (D) faces a challenge from state Sen. Craig Romero (R).

MINNESOTA
6th CD - six counties in East/Central Minnesota, open as Rep. Mark Kennedy (R) is running for governor.
Conservative State Sen. Michele Bachmann (R) faces Patty Wetterling (D), who ran for the seat in 2004.

2nd CD - South of St. Paul; Scott, Carver, Le Sueur, Rice, and Goodhue counties and parts of Dakota and Washington counties.
Former FBI agent Colleen Rowley (D) is challenging Rep. John Kline (R).

NEW MEXICO
1st CD - Albuquerque area; parts of Bernalillo, Sandoval, Santa Fe and Valencia counties and all of Torrance county.
Rep. Heather Wilson (R) faces Attorney General Patricia Madrid (D).

NEW YORK
24th CD - Upstate, open due to the retirement of Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R).
State Senator Ray Meier (R) faces Oneida County District Attorney Michael Arcuri (D).

NORTH CAROLINA
11th CD - Western tip of the state.
Former NFL quarterback and real estate developer Heath Shuler (D) is expected to pose a strong challenge to Rep. Charles Taylor (R).

OHIO
6th CD - Eastern border from Lucasville to suburban Youngstown, open as Rep. Ted Strickland (D) is running for governor.
State Sen. Charlie Wilson (D) is seeking to hold the seat against a challenge from State Rep. and Speaker Pro Tem Chuck Blasdel (R).

1st CD - SW corner of the state; parts of Hamilton and Butler counties.
Cincinnati City Council member John Cranley (D) faces Rep. Steve Chabot (R), first elected in 1994; district went 51%-49% for Bush in 2004.

15th CD - Columbus area.
Franklin County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy (D) faces Rep. Deborah Pryce (R), first elected in 1992.

18th CD - 16 counties in eastern and southern Ohio.
Corruption by Rep. Bob Ney (R) has put this district in play. Ney was implicated in corruption investigations, but maintained for many months that he had done nothing wrong. He won the May 2 primary but on Aug. 7 announced he would not seek re-election, prompting a Sept. 14 special primary election won by State Sen. Joy Padgett (R); she will face Dover City Attorney Zach Space (D). On Sept. 15 Ney agreed to plead guilty; Padgett and others have called for him to resign.

PENNSYLVANIA
6th CD - West and North of Philadelphia (Ardmore, Norristown, Pottstown).
Rep. Jim Gerlach (R) is facing a rematch with attorney Lois Murphy (D), who came within two points of unseating him in 2004.

8th CD - North of Philadelphia (Bucks County, parts of Montgomery County and Northeast Philadelphia).
Iraq war veteran Patrick Murphy (D) faces first term Rep. Michael FItzpatrick (R).

7th CD - southwest of Philadelphia (most of Delaware County, southwestern Montgomery County and eastern Chester County).
Rep. Curt Weldon (R) is seeking a 10th term against Joe Sestak (D), a retired Vice Admiral.

10th CD - Northeast Pennsylvania.
Rep. Don Sherwood (R) has been weakened by an extramarital affair and will face Chris Carney (D), an Associate Professor of Political Science and Lt. Commander in the Naval Reserves.

SOUTH CAROLINA
5th CD - all or parts of 14 counties in north-central South Carolina.
Rep. John Spratt (D), first elected in 1982, faces a significant challenge from State Rep. Ralph Norman (R).

TEXAS
22nd CD - Greater Houston-Rosenberg in the West to La Marque in the East, open due to the resignation of Rep. Tom DeLay (R).
Rep. Tom DeLay (R) won the primary but then sought to have his name removed from the ballot, clearing the way for the Republican Party of Texas to name his replacement. Texas Democrats successfully challenged that maneuver. DeLay then removed his name from the November ballot. Houston councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, M.D. (R) will wage a write-in campaign to hold the seat against former Congressman Nick Lampson (D).

17th CD - Central Texas incl. Waco.
Businessman and Iraq veteran Van Taylor (R) is challenging Rep. Chet Edwards (D) who was first elected in 1990, in this strongly Republican district.

VERMONT
At-Large.
Senate President Pro Tem Peter Welch (D) faces former Adjutant General (head of the National Guard) Martha Rainville (R).

VIRGINIA
2nd CD - Hampton (part), Norfolk (part), and Virginia Beach.
First-term Rep. Thelma Drake (R) faces Virginia Beach Commissioner of the Revenue Phil Kellam (D).

WEST VIRGINIA
1st CD - Northern WV.
12-term incumbent Rep. Alan Mollohan Jr. (D) is facing a federal investigation; he is being challenged by businessman and delegate Chris Wakim (R).

WISCONSIN
8th CD - Northeast WI; Appleton and north includes Green Bay, open as Rep. Mark Green (R) is running for governor.
Assembly Speaker John Gard (R) will seek to hold a seat in the face of a challenge from Steve Kagen, M.D. (D).