WASHINGTON (AP) — For Congresswoman Lois Capps of California and other vulnerable House Democrats, a string of successful re-election bids and double-digit margins of victory may mean little this year.
Capps' Santa Barbara-area district has been redrawn in the wake of the latest census, turning it from Democratic-leaning to one evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats. She has responded by spending more time than ever raising money, hiring campaign staff and meeting voters.
That's almost unheard of for a six-term congresswoman who routinely defeats her Republican opponents by double digits.
At least seven other veteran House Democrats — in California, Iowa, Utah, Massachusetts, New York, Georgia and North Carolina — have become top GOP targets because of new district boundaries.
