ATLANTA (AP) — Although Republican Brian Jack is only a first-term congressman, he’s become a regular in the Oval Office these days. As a top recruiter for his party’s House campaign team, the Georgia native often reviews the biographies and polls of potential candidates with President Donald Trump.
Lauren Underwood, an Illinois congresswoman who does similar work for Democrats, has no such invitation to the West Wing. She’s on the other side of Pennsylvania Avenue, working the phones to identify and advise candidates hoping to wipe out Republicans’ slim House majority in November’s midterm elections.
Although they have little in common, both lawmakers were forged by the lessons of 2018, when Democrats flipped dozens of Republican-held seats to turn the remainder of Trump’s first term into a political crucible. Underwood won her race that year, and Jack was responsible for dealing with the fallout when he became White House political director a few months later.
Underwood wants to repeat in 2026, and Jack is trying to stand in his way.
For Republicans, that means going all in on Trump and his “Make America Great Again” agenda, as sustained enthusiasm from his base will offset widespread dissatisfaction with his leadership.
“You’re seeing a lot of people very inspired by President Trump,” Jack said of his party’s House candidates. “They’re excited to serve on this body with him and the White House. It’s a tool and a motivating factor for many people who want to run.”
Underwood said she is looking for candidates with community involvement and public service beyond Washington politics. A registered nurse, she was a health care advocate before running in 2018, joining a cadre of Democratic newcomers that included military veterans, teachers, activists and business owners.
The way it “elevates ordinary Americans” “contrasts sharply with the actions of these MAGA extremists,” she said.
Trump’s involvement is more direct than in 2018
It is routine for the president’s party to lose ground in Congress in the first midterm after winning the White House. Trump, however, is in a rare position to test that historic trend with a second, non-consecutive president.
None of the parties have released the list of their preferred candidates for the target seats. But Jack said Oval Office discussions with Trump have focused on who can win the White House.
Jack highlighted former Maine governor Paul LePage as an example. LePage is running in a GOP-leaning district where Democrats have another member of the party’s 2018 class, Rep. is facing the challenge of replacing Jared Golden, who recently announced he will not seek re-election.
Trump’s involvement contrasts with 2017, when he was not as closely aligned with House leadership as he is now on the details of the midterm campaign, including then-Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis. Jack, who got his start with Trump by managing delegate outreach before the 2016 convention, was White House deputy political director during that period. After losing in 2018, he was promoted to political director.
Jack continues to advise the president, particularly on his endorsements, Trump’s departure from the White House in 2021 and Jack’s own congressional campaign in 2024. He described Trump as being intimately involved in hiring decisions and open to advice on his endorsements after those 2018 defeats.
Trump loyalty isn’t always easy to gauge, especially among first-time candidates.
But Jack said Republicans have quality options. He pointed to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where Republicans could have a competitive primary that includes Jose Orozco, a former Drug Enforcement Administration contractor, and Greg Cunningham, a former Marine and police officer.
“They both have very inspiring stories,” Jack said.
Orozco urged voters to “give President Trump an ally in Congress.” Cunningham ignored Trump at the start of his campaign.
Democrats describe a district-by-district approach
Underwood said Democrats are duplicating 2018’s district-by-district approach. Recruiting in the Trump era, she said, is often about talking to potential candidates who have raised their hand to run, rather than engaging them in politics.
The significant number of women and combat veterans in his first-term class, Underwood said, was not a top-down strategy but the result of candidates who saw Trump and Republicans as threats to functional government and democracy.
Underwood, who at age 32 became the youngest black woman to serve in Congress after her 2018 election, noted that Republicans’ efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act prompted her to run because of her training as a nurse. She shares those experiences with recruits, sharpening how they can apply their ideas and backgrounds to congressional work.
Underwood said she regularly fields questions about serving in an era of political violence and the day-to-day balance of a candidate or congressman, especially from recruits with children.
National security is yet another draw for democracy. Former Marine Joanna Mendoza is running in the largely rural southern Arizona seat and former Rep. Allen Luria, another Underwood classmate and former Navy officer, is running again in Virginia after losing his seat in 2022. Luria January 6, 2021, was among the Capitol’s chief House investigators.
Underwood said there are clear parallels with 2018, when successful congressional candidates include Mickey Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot who is now governor-elect of New Jersey; Jason Crowe, a former Army Ranger who is one of her recruiting co-chairs; and Virginia Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA case officer.
Democrats also pointed to the need to find candidates who reflect the district’s cultural sensibility, meaning a candidate who can counter Republican charges that national Democrats are out of touch with many voters.
For example, in the South Texas district, the top potential Democratic challenger is Tejano music star Bobby Pulido. The five-time Latin Grammy nominee, New York’s progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been criticized for using the term “Latinx” instead of “Latino” or “Latina”.
Trump’s gerrymandering battle causes uncertainty
Mid-decade gerrymandering in Republican-led states at Trump’s behest leaves the state’s 435 House districts in flux. Despite the changes, Democrats have identified more than three dozen Republican-held seats that they believe will be competitive. Republicans think they can flip about two dozen Democratic-held seats.
In the Southwest, Democrats are targeting three Republican seats in Arizona. The GOP is targeting three Democratic seats in Nevada. From the Midwest to the Philadelphia suburbs, Democrats want to flip two Iowa seats, two in Wisconsin, three in Michigan, three in Ohio and four in Pennsylvania. Republicans are targeting four Democratic seats in New York.
Almost all of the Democratic targets were within a 15-percentage point margin in 2024, many of them much closer than that. Democratic candidates in 2025 special elections typically managed double-digit gains over Trump’s margin in 2024, including a recent special House election in Tennessee, when Democrats came within 9 points of a district Trump won by 22 points.
“It’s the same kind of change that we saw in 2017 before he won in 2018,” said Meredith Kelly, the top official at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee during Trump’s first presidency. “So, it becomes a mix of that national environment and finding the right candidates that fit the district and can benefit.”
