| Today, the DCCC announced eight new top-tier candidates added to its highly competitive ‘Red to Blue’ program for the 2026 cycle. This is the first expansion of the group since the announcement of the first round of ‘Red to Blue’ candidates in February. This latest group of candidates will receive strategic guidance, staff resources, training, and fundraising support to ensure they are in the best possible position to win in November.
“As the American people reject House Republicans’ disastrous, cost-spiking agenda, House Democrats have the momentum to take back the majority. These latest additions to our Red to Blue program represent the strength of our people-first message and the broad appeal of our top-tier candidates,” said DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene. “These candidates will win because they are authentic, independent-minded leaders who are rooted in their communities, demonstrating they have what it takes to win and fight to make life more affordable for hardworking families.”
Red to Blue is a highly competitive and battle-tested DCCC program that arms top-tier candidates with organizational and fundraising support to help them continue building winning campaigns. Candidates earn a spot in the program by surpassing aggressive goals for grassroots engagement, local support, campaign organization, and fundraising.
About the DCCC’s eight New Red to Blue Candidates:
AZ-01 – Marlene Galán-Woods
Marlene Galán-Woods is a former broadcast journalist and a single mother of five who’s called Arizona home for nearly four decades. A first generation Cuban-American, Marlene’s parents fled communist Cuba looking for a better life, allowing Marlene to pursue her dream as a trusted broadcast journalist and champion of the First Amendment. Marlene spent her 20-year journalism career sticking to facts and solutions — not partisan games and talking points. Now, Marlene is running for Congress to lower costs for working families, push back against extremists, and bring back common-sense leadership. Marlene will work with anyone — Democrat, Independent, Republican — to get things done for Arizona families. Running in an open, R+1 seat that President Joe Biden carried in 2020, Marlene is the straight-shooter Arizonans deserve to fight for them in Congress.
CA-22 – Jasmeet Bains
Dr. Jasmeet Bains is a family doctor who has spent her career showing up when her community needs her most. The daughter of first-generation immigrants, she has served Central Valley families in her hometown clinic, on the frontlines of California’s wildfires, and in surge hospitals. In the State Assembly, Dr. Bains took on the fentanyl crisis, cut taxes for working families, and strengthened public safety, all while fighting to expand affordable health care and bring a UC medical school to Kern County. Her record of delivering results has earned her strong trust and cross-party support in the heart of the district — outperforming the top of the ticket by over seven points in 2024. Her strength is a stark contrast with David Valadao, who turned his back on the Central Valley, voting to gut health care for his own constituents in an increasingly-competitive Trump +2 district. While Valadao plays politics, Dr. Bains puts the Valley first and is ready to fight for her community in Congress.
CO-05 – Jessica Killin
Jessica Killin is a fourth-generation Coloradan, U.S. Army veteran, and devoted mom who has consistently proven her deep commitment to her state and country. The daughter of public school educators, Jessica was raised in Colorado Springs and grew up understanding the value of public service. After earning a ROTC scholarship, Jessica served as a Captain and paratrooper in the U.S. Army, leading soldiers overseas as a military police officer. Following her military service, Jessica spent more than a decade advocating for military families. Jessica knows exactly why Washington isn’t working for Southern Colorado, and she’s running for Congress to be an independent voice to lower costs for families, support our veterans, and restore fiscal responsibility. Jessica is the no-nonsense leader Coloradans deserve to flip CO-05 — the most Democratic-trending congressional district in the nation.
ME-02 – Joe Baldacci
Joe Baldacci is a Bangor native, attorney, and State Senator who has spent his career fighting for working-class Mainers. Joe grew up alongside seven siblings behind the counter of his family’s restaurant, Momma Baldacci’s, where he learned early that hard work pays off and that tough times require strong communities looking out for one another. Those values have driven his decades of public service — from the Bangor City Council to the mayor’s office to the Maine State Senate, where Joe has fought to make health care more affordable, strengthen local economies, and lower property taxes for Maine families. Now he’s taking on extremist Paul LePage, who has worked for years to rip away access to affordable health care and Social Security, consistently put his wealthy donors ahead of Maine families, and abandoned Mainers twice to move to Florida. Joe has an undeniable track record of electoral overperformance, proving he’s the kind of candidate who can keep this seat in Democratic hands come November.
PA-01 – Bob Harvie
Bob Harvie is a fourth-generation Bucks County resident who is fighting to restore the promise of the American Dream. Bob is a proud card-carrying union member who spent 20 years teaching social studies at Bucks County Technical High School. A twice elected Bucks County Commissioner who has never lost an election, Bob has delivered balanced budgets and a more than 90% bipartisan voting record because his North Star is improving the lives of the people he was elected to serve. Unlike Brian Fitzpatrick who went to Washington and now takes his marching orders from Trump and his special interest donors, Bob will never forget where he came from and will always put the community that raised him first.
PA-07 – Bob Brooks
Firefighter Bob Brooks has spent his entire life standing up for working families and is running to give them a voice in Washington. Bob spent 20 years running into burning buildings as a Bethlehem firefighter, and still proudly serves as the president of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association where he fights for higher wages and better health care for his union. Before the firehouse, Bob worked a number of jobs just like many Pennsylvanians: dishwasher, short-order cook, bartender, landscaper, warehouse worker, and pizza delivery driver. Bob doesn’t look like a typical politician and that’s exactly why people trust him — he knows what it’s like to face foreclosure, rely on food assistance, and work more than one job at a time just to get by. While career politician Ryan Mackenzie votes to jack up costs, rip away health care, and screw over hardworking Lehigh Valley families, Bob is stepping up to serve his community once again and flip this swing seat back to blue.
TX-15 – Bobby Pulido
Bobby Puldio is not just a Tejano icon, he’s the embodiment of the Rio Grande Valley and South Texas culture. A life-long South Texan, Bobby has worked to give a voice to the community when they didn’t have one. Over his career, Bobby has become a proven advocate that understands the struggles his community is facing. Now, Bobby is answering the call to serve and bring South Texas values to Congress. Monica De La Cruz has abandoned South Texas, delivering devastating blows to working families. While these voters have known and loved Bobby for years, more than 6 in 10 voters in this newly drawn district are new to Monica De La Cruz thanks to Republicans’ gerrymander. As De La Cruz turns a blind eye to her community’s pain, Bobby is ready to bring a new voice to Washington and fight for a better future for South Texans.
TX-35 – Johnny Garcia
A San Antonio native, Johnny Garcia has spent his life serving his community. From working in construction to a career as local Sheriff’s Deputy for Bexar County, Johnny has dedicated his life to investing in his community — building a career rooted on transparency and service. Johnny’s mission is simple: delivering real solutions for the working families of TX-35. Throughout his career in law enforcement, Johnny learned the importance of putting community over partisan labels, ensuring that the needs of Texans are put first, no matter their party. Under the district’s new lines, Beto O’Rourke came within half a point of winning the district in 2018, the last midterm election during a Trump Administration. As Democrats continue to overperform across Texas, Johnny is ready to build on that momentum in this open seat and make sure the voices of everyday Texans are heard. |
