Future Democratic stars at risk of getting wiped out in the midterms

Reps. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.), Jared Golden (D-Maine), Katie Porter (D-Calif.), Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), Jason Crow (D-Colo.) and Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) are also among those frequently name-checked by operatives in their states as formidable statewide candidates for the future. In Pennsylvania, many expected Rep. Chrissy Houlahan to run for Senate this year, but she opted against it and instead remains on the radar for a future bid, said J.J. Balaban, a Democratic strategist in the state. And Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) are closely watched by Democrats in their states for a future step up.

But much of Democrats’ “Class of 2018″ is under threat, staring down a brutal midterm climate in battleground districts, some made more difficult after redistricting, while a handful turned a shade bluer. Presidential approval ratings and historical precedence now weigh heavily against them — instead of working in their favor, as they did in 2018 when Trump was in office. It’s another opportunity to prove their strength and build their political careers, but it’s also a key moment that could knock many off course.

“Whether we’re talking about me, whether we’re talking about Slotkin, Houlahan, [Elaine] Luria, Sherrill, Sharice, Kendra [Horn] — yes, I can win really hard races, and I do,” Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) said in an interview on the sidelines of the campaign trail in her central Virginia district. She had been speaking with voters at a brewery for nearly two hours, even after losing her voice.

“And I am relentless in my campaigning,” she added.

Spanberger is another oft-mentioned Democratic star, who rose to viral fame in 2018 by standing apart from her national party — memorably declaring at a debate, “Abigail Spanberger is my name,” as her opponent repeatedly linked her to then-Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Now, Spanberger is facing her third tough, expensive campaign, this time against Republican Yesli Vega for a district that President Joe Biden won by 7 points in 2020 and GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin won by 5 points in 2021.

Virginia Democrats eager to peek around the corner to the next statewide opening may have to wait for a bit: both Democratic senators, Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, are in their mid-60s. But the race for governor in 2025 will likely attract a crowded primary field, potentially featuring Democrats who have run in the past, including Sen. Jennifer McClellan and Jennifer Carroll Foy, who is running next year for the state Senate.

If Spanberger decided to run, she would enter a primary with a record of “working across the aisle in an incredibly polarizing Congress” and running in congressional districts that cover three different media markets, “so a lot of voters statewide are familiar with her record,” said Virginia state Sen. Adam Ebbin.

“I don’t know anyone else who has that kind of advantage before running statewide,” Ebbin said.

The built-in political…