OBAMA ADMIN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “At least a dozen former aides and policy staff who worked for President Barack Obama have entered the midterm races, running for office for the first time.
The Obama administration alumni are part of a Democratic Party effort to take back control of the House of Representatives and create a counter to President Donald Trump’s efforts to roll back Obama-era policies. In many cases, these new candidates are opposing GOP incumbents who have been identified by House Democrats as potentially vulnerable to a challenge.
Brian Forde, former White House technology adviser, moved back to the southern California district where he was raised and is running against Republican Rep. Mimi Walters. Former Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense Elissa Slotkin is challenging GOP Rep. Mike Bishop while living on her family’s farm in Michigan. And two former Obama administration alumni are taking on Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions—Colin Allred, who worked in Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of General Counsel and Ed Meier, who worked in the State Department focused on military-to-civilian transition in Iraq…
Democrats need to win a net 24 seats to take back the majority. Democrats have 193 seats in the House, compared with the GOP majority of 239.”
–Natalie Andrews, “Former Obama Administration Officials Vie to Unseat House Republicans,” The Wall Street Journal online, Dec. 31, 2017 12:18pm