The 2026 political campaign is on. Here’s who Republicans and Democrats are targeting
Democratic campaign officials are officially mobilizing against Kevin Kiley and David Valadao. Republicans are doing the same against Adam Gray.
Welcome to the 2026 congressional election season.
On Wednesday, EMILY’s List, a political action committee that aims to elect Democratic women who support abortion rights, named 46 national “targets” it wants to defeat next year. Among them are Republicans Kiley of Roseville and Valadao of Hanford.
Republicans have countered with their own favorite targets. On their list of 26 is Gray, a freshman from Merced who won his seat last year by less than 200 votes.
What these lists mean is that the parties regard their targets as the nation’s most vulnerable House members, and whoever runs against them should get special help. The groups will advise their donors around the country to give to the challengers. Social media will be full of controversial “facts” about the incumbents. Ads will trumpet their alleged shortcomings.
And national political leaders will remind voters that a vote for Gray or Valadao or any of the vulnerable candidates is also a vote for who controls Congress.
Democrats need a net gain of three seats to win control of Congress next year. Inside Elections, a nonpartisan firm that analyzes House elections, rates 10 races as tossups, including the seat held by Gray. It says Valadao’s race leans Republican while Kiley’s contest is a likely Republican win.
The political groups Wednesday offered a preview of the war of words to come.
“The chaos and cruelty has no bounds — from slash-and-burn cuts to critical programs for veterans and farmers, to voting to strip millions of health care, to their continued assault on our fundamental rights and freedoms. It’s time for House Republicans to go,” said Jessica Mackler, EMILY’s list president.
The Republican view: “House Republicans are on offense while Democrats flounder with no message, no strategy, and no leadership. They can put out all the lists they want, but voters rejected their radical agenda in 2024, and they’ll do it again in 2026,” said Mike Marinella, National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman.
These setups for the election to come have some significance, said Jacob Rubashkin, deputy editor at Inside Elections.
“We’re still early in the cycle but these kinds of lists are helpful in understanding the parties’ priorities,” he said.
“They signal where party leaders are going to focus their energy and resources over the coming months,” Rubashkin explained.
EMILY’s List targets
EMILYs List offered a lengthy roster of reasons it will oppose Kiley and Valadao.
It detailed how the congressmen voted against abortion rights on several occasions. Kiley and Valadao both got A+ ratings from the Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America Scorecard.
Both members have “stood up against the ever-growing pro-abortion agenda of the Biden-Harris administration and the radical bureaucrats who are actively working to expand abortion access, resources and funding,” the group said.
Kiley’s and Valadao’s offices did not respond to requests for comment by deadline.
Republican targets
Gray is a particularly appealing target for the Republicans, since President Donald Trump won his Central Valley district last year by 5.5 percentage points.
The party’s congressional committee launched a digital ad blasting Gray, among others, for his vote against the GOP-authored budget to keep the government running earlier this month.
“In case you forgot, extreme Democrat Adam Gray voted to shut down the government – choosing politics over Californians! He turned his back on the very people he claims to fight for, putting partisan games ahead of their livelihood,” the NRCC said.
Gray and every other House Democrat except Rep. Jared Golden of Maine voted against the budget plan. Democrats were urging legislation to extend funding for 30 days while lawmakers crafted a more thorough bill. That plan went nowhere.
“This (budget) robbed my congressional district of millions of dollars that would have supported local governments and organizations in my district in the Central Valley. It did not take meaningful action to responsibly fund the government, address the deficit, or fund programs and agencies that support Valley farmers,” Gray told The Bee.
“Instead, this (budget) would cancel funding for community projects, which would have improved roads in Fresno, in Madera, and in Modesto.,” he said.
The funding would have supported community center development in Mendota, in Gustine and in Ceres and have helped water projects to increase storage in Merced and in Chowchilla.
This story was originally published March 26, 2025 at 1:12 PM with the headline "The 2026 political campaign is on. Here’s who Republicans and Democrats are targeting."
.jpg)