| Today, the DCCC announced five new additions to its highly competitive ‘Red to Blue’ program for the 2026 cycle. The expansion brings the number of Red to Blue candidates to 37, highlighting the depth and breadth of quality candidates on the DCCC’s offensive map going into the last two and a half months of the cycle. 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.
“American families are struggling under the broken promises and higher costs caused by House Republicans, and they’re eager for leaders who will always put the well-being of their communities first, not rubber stamp Trump’s failed agenda,” said DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene. “All of these candidates are proven fighters who are running strong campaigns, talking to every voter, and building coalitions across the ideological spectrum to power their victories in November.”
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 five New Red to Blue Candidates:
FL-13 – Leela Gray
Retired Army Brigadier General Leela Gray has dedicated her life to serving her country and is running for Congress to bring that same commitment to Florida families. A third-generation veteran, Leela served 30 years in uniform, including two combat deployments and a peacekeeping mission, before earning her law degree to help fellow veterans access the benefits they earned. A mother, attorney, and longtime Tampa Bay resident, Leela has always put service over self. She offers a stark contrast to Anna Paulina Luna, who came to Washington chasing fame, and has spent her time enriching herself off political connections, trying to sabotage bipartisan relief for struggling families, and breaking faith with the nearly 60,000 veterans in her district. Leela is ready to defeat Luna and give Pinellas County and Pasco County a representative who shows up, delivers, and puts people over politics.
KY-06 – Zach Dembo
Ninth-generation Kentuckian Zach Dembo has dedicated his life to serving our country and standing up to corruption wherever he sees it. Zach spent more than 4 years in the Navy on active duty, commissioned as an officer in the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps. After serving his country in uniform, Zach became a federal prosecutor in the US Department of Justice where he went after violent criminals and saw firsthand just how broken and corrupt Washington has become. Zach also served Governor Andy Beshear as a policy advisor, working alongside him to move Kentucky forward. Now Zach is running to bring Central Kentucky’s voice to Congress and fight corruption head on, just like he’s always done.
ME-02 – Matt Dunlap
Matt Dunlap is a lifelong Mainer who worked as a dishwasher, bartender, and fur-trapper before dedicating his career to serving the people of Maine and being elected to the state legislature. A former labor union member born and raised on a farm near Bar Harbor, Matt has served in statewide office twice, first as Secretary of State and now as State Auditor, where he’s worked to root out government waste, fraud, and inefficiency. As a gun owner and former executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, Matt has built a coalition that transcends parties and has consistently earned the trust of voters across the political spectrum. Now, Matt is running for Congress because Mainers deserve a representative who will lower costs, protect Social Security and Medicaid, and take on the billionaires rigging the economy against working families — not an extremist like Paul LePage who cheers on health care cuts and lines the pockets of his ultra-wealthy donors. Matt is the independent, Maine-first fighter the Second District deserves in Congress.
SC-01 – Nancy Lacore
Nancy Lacore served our nation for 35 years in the Navy, beginning as a helicopter pilot and culminating as a three star admiral and the Chief of Navy Reserve where she led more than 60,000 sailors. Twice deployed as she raised her six children, Nancy is now running for Congress to bring the same common-sense leadership and integrity she learned in the Navy to clean up Washington. Nancy will do what it takes to enforce the rule of law and take on corrupt politicians, get costs down for families, protect South Carolina’s coast, and stand up to both parties whenever they put politics ahead of the Lowcountry. In this open seat vacated by Nancy Mace that Democrats flipped in 2018, Nancy is building a strong bipartisan coalition rooted in her commitment to country and service to win this race.
VA-05 – Tom Perriello
Born and raised in the Charlottesville area, Tom Perriello is a lifelong native of Virginia and the Blue Ridge who has spent his career fighting corruption and standing up to the powerful on behalf of working people. In 2008, Tom was elected to Congress and provided a courageous vote for the passage of the Affordable Care Act — lowering costs and increasing access to health care for Virginians, even when it meant sacrificing his seat. He has proven he will put Virginia families above all else, and that he doesn’t answer to anybody but the people he serves. |
