House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Thursday said he believes Republicans have a better chance of retaining control of the House than the one-in-three figure he offered in the Spring.
“I’m feeling better,” Boehner told reporters at a Capitol press conference.
“Our team’s in pretty good shape,” he added. “Our members have worked hard. Frankly, our candidates and challengers out there… have been through tough primaries. I feel good about where we are as a team. We’ve got a lot of work to do between now and November, but our team is doing well.”
Democrats need to see a net gain of 25 seats in November to win back the majority, a hurdle most are considering far-fetched at this point. Democrats, however, believe their chances are better than Republicans think. A recent DCCC memo indicated that Democratic incumbents are actually in a better position to fend off conservative challengers.
“House Republicans are dreaming if they think they can defeat Democratic incumbents this November,” the memo read.
Boehner acknowledged that the nation’s capital was still run by Democrats, but that they’re “scared” that the number of seats they lose in November will reflect the will of the American voter.
“The Washington Democrats are scared,” Boehner said. “They are hiding. They are desperately hoping to get through the the fall election. When it comes to America’s future, they have no plan.”
