12 Fascinating House Races To Watch In 2016

With less than two months to go before America faces its judgment day on Nov. 8, it seems a fitting time to remind everybody that there is more to this election cycle than just the ongoing battle between the two presidential candidates. There are actually hundreds of races happening, including many for this thing called “The House Of Representatives.” You remember those folks, right? Well, they’re all up for re-election as well.

There are a lot of things that we can’t say about the House races. One thing we can’t say is that there are big changes afoot ― despite the fact that Congress’ approval rating eternally hovers between “gallbladder infection” and “plague of frogs,” incumbent members enjoy a staggeringly high rate of re-election (because it’s always some other person’s congressional representative cocking things up). We can’t use the term “barnburner” to describe many of these races because we’ve only got scant polling data to examine.

Still, these races matter, and many of them are fascinating in their own right. There are fresh faces, enduring rivalries and big money. In some cases, there are interesting changes in the political landscape. In others, there are old figures reaching for one last shot in politics. And there’s always the possibility that the House somehow flips control from the GOP to the Democrats, right? Actually, probably not.

Look at it this way: These races are going to happen one way or another. On this week’s First To Last, we’ll share the House races that fascinate us the most.