House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries expressed confidence Sunday that Democrats would gain the majority by winning key swing districts in places such as Iowa, Pennsylvania, Nebraska, New York and Arizona.

But with just 30 days until the election, he also predicted the party would pad its margins by picking up seats in Republican terrain. 

“These districts are going to give us the majority, and then on top of it, the fact that we’ve been able to go deeper and deeper into the map will give us the opportunity to grow that majority even bigger,’’ Jeffries told reporters on a press call.

House Democrats currently have 66 districts on their target list; most of them backed Donald Trump in 2024. The party’s bullish outlook is driven by the president’s sinking job approval numbers and historic trends that suggest the party controlling the White House loses seats in midterm elections. 

Battleground districts singled out by Jeffries as strong pickup opportunities included Arizona’s 6th, held by Rep. Juan Ciscomani; New York’s 17th, represented by Rep. Mike Lawler; and Iowa’s 1st District, held by Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks. Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the races either as Toss-ups or Tilt Democratic. 

A Sept. 24-27 Quinnipiac University poll found Democrats with a 12-point advantage on the generic congressional ballot, which asks respondents whether they plan to vote for the Republican or Democratic candidate for Congress.

Republicans have long dismissed Democrats’ confidence as overblown and have pointed to the GOP’s strong fundraising advantage in the final weeks of the midterm campaign.

Jeffries, however, insisted that Democrats have the resources to remain competitive. 

“We’ve raised, as House Democrats, the resources necessary to go on offense while defending our Frontline incumbent members of Congress, many of whom are well ahead of their Republican challengers, and have begun to put those seats out of reach.”

Both Jeffries and his Republican House counterpart, Speaker Mike Johnson, have embarked on an ambitious travel schedule to boost their candidates during the campaign recess.

Johnson was in California last week, raising money and stumping for several GOP candidates, including Rep. David Valadao, a perennial Democratic target, and former Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln, who is challenging freshman Democrat Adam Gray in a Central Valley district that Democrats redrew in their favor in response to Republican-led redistricting in Texas.

New congressional maps in several states has reshaped the House battleground this cycle. While most redistricting efforts have been GOP-led, Jeffries suggested Sunday that Republicans may not pick up as many seats as they had initially thought.

“The political conditions in Texas are deteriorating for Republicans by the day,” the New York Democrat said, pointing to Hispanic voters’ drift from the GOP. He also referred to the new Florida map as a “dummymander” that will fall short of GOP expectations.

Jeffries said he was in California over the weekend campaigning with Gray and former state Sen. Richard Pan, who is running against Republican-turned-independent Kevin Kiley, one of CQ Roll Call’s most vulnerable incumbents. Jeffries said he also plans to visit several other states, including New York and New Jersey, as well as the Midwest and perhaps Florida.

The battle for the House, Jeffries said, is “an all-hands on deck effort” for Democrats, noting the contributions of both former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Kamala Harris. 

Trump has also kept up a busy campaign schedule, visiting four states starting Thursday. At a rally Saturday in Vandalia, Ohio – located in the Democrat-targeted 10th District held by Republican Michael R. Turner – the president declared that Republicans will defy expectations come November. 

“They’re in for a big surprise,” he told the crowd. “You gotta get out and vote.’’