Don’t Fret the Presidential Election, Focus on House Races
Trade 2024 dread for a more fun and functional focus on the House of Representatives Races
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of a repeat-style presidential election, you know that you’re not alone. Many of us are inundated with news stories about voters, both returning and new, who are less than thrilled with the idea of a 2024 rematch of the 2020 candidates. New and younger voters are disconcerted to find their choices limited to two presidential candidates, both of whom will be over 78 years of age come election time.
This has led to a narrative focused sentiment of dread, despair and resignation among many. Beyond the traditional media, on social media and in smaller conversations many people are questioning, “How can this be?” and/or declaring that “the whole system a problem”. While this feeling of disillusionment is widespread, it ultimately serves little purpose.
This sentiment isn’t helpful because the die is cast; we already know who our presumptive nominees are going to be, so hand-wringing over this is wasted energy. Moreover, it’s unproductive because there’s a more effective and beneficial strategy of engagement available this political season: focusing on the House races.
Every one of us will have our own House legislator up for election or reelection as all 435 voting members of Congress must defend or earn their seats. Additionally, most people are not very familiar with their House members, making this an opportunity to learn about the representatives who serve you and your family. Each House Representatives represents about 760,000 people (except in Wyoming, Alaska, and Vermont where fewer than 760,000 people live, yet the state is guaranteed 1 Representative). In general elections about 350,000 people turn out to vote, on average, in each House district for primaries only about 115,000 turn out for primary elections. That is to say, these races are smaller in scale, which means each individual voter is more pivotal than they are in the somewhat complicated aggregation mechanics of the Electoral College for president. In 2020 37 House races were decided by less than a 5 percent margin; the likelihood that you matter in for a House race is greater. If your House race is uncompetitive, you’ve got two choices: (1) accept that and help campaign for the underdog knowing that they very well will lose as a way to bolster party efforts for the next time around (2) find a nearby House race that is competitive and get involved there. Any style of engagement you pick will have more upsides than just getting disappointed at the presidential offerings.
House races involve smaller campaigns and organizations. This scale allows you to see the individuals involved and get to know them, which humanizes both our electoral system and government. If you’ve got kids, you can include them in the action and let them see who wants to run for office. Depending on your location, you might even meet your member of Congress. I’ve met mine three times in the last three months as they make efforts to be visible in the district before reelection, if you follow their social media accounts or subscribe to their official e-newsletters, there will be opportunities in the coming months to meet your representatives if you make an effort.
Another reason to concentrate on the House races is that the outcome of these races often goes in the same direction of the presidency. Typically, voters focus on the top of the ticket and may overlook or feel indifferent about down-ballot issues or candidates. This trend will continue in this election — there is just so much more media attention on the presidency and it’s hard for many of us to keep track of too many races. But if more people paid attention to the House races, the influence would trickle up. The criteria people use to decide whom to support for the House likely reflect the considerations they would apply to presidential candidates. So, if you’re really worried about the Presidency, but don’t want to hate election season for the next 9 months, figure out which House candidate you can support and throw your efforts that way — efforts to election Republicans to the House often go hand in hand with electing a Republican to the White House and the same if true for those interested in seeing Democrats in power. The House also serves as a huge check to the President, so even if the top of the ticket doesn’t go the way you want, expending efforts to get individual members of the party you prefer into the House can significantly affect the national policy agenda and the legislative achievements of a sitting president. Focusing on the House is a win-win, even if it actually turns out to be a lose-win.
While some candidates are as old or older as the presidential nominees (18 current members of the House are over 78 years of age), many are newer to the political scene and bring different perspectives and ideas to Congress. Additionally, a bunch of legislators in the House are set to retire this year, meaning we will have more active open-seat races to participate in. The House of Representatives features the newest and youngest candidates of the federal government, which sometimes brings a level of, dare I say, unprofessionalism at best and sad infotainment to those races. Recall in 2018 when then House candidate (now Governor) Greg Gianforte body slammed a reporter, or when George Santos (NY-3) duped an entire district into a set of fabrications about his whole life. There are also hopeful stories in House races, such as the first Gen Z candidate, Max Frost (FL-10), running and winning. The House can be unpredictable and, depending on your perspective, far from boring; the dynamic nature of the House ensures that, for those who follow, it’s anything but a dull affair. And though incumbents who choose to run regularly win, these races will be more lively, interesting, and variable than the presidential races.
What’s more, many of the frustrations and obstacles in our politics in recent years can be traced back to the House of Representatives, so having a better handle on just who holds those seats can be a way for us as citizens to exert more oversight. The House plays a big role in shaping policies that affect our daily lives, including healthcare, education, environmental regulations, and economic policies. The finer powers of our democracy often lies in these more localized seats, so deciding to focus on those races will not just be beneficial for your own mental state going into election season, but it can also be beneficial for the overall functioning of government.
Don’t know who your rep is? Find out here.
